Parvulus de Crepuscid
by jigglykat
Summary: COMPLETED 13 years after Rota Fortunae finishes, Sellie discovers her true self in the midst of a crisis concerning her family.
1. Heaven and Earth

Date. 02.17.2002  
Time. 8.00 pm   
Music. None, watching American Beauty as I type  
Chapter 1  
  
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or any of the characters. However, I do own all the characters that I created so don't take them please.   
  
Author's Notes. Alright, after careful consideration… and me not having much work to do, I decided to start working Parvulus de Crepuscid tonight. The small excerpt I put up at the end of Rota Fortunae will come up at the second chapter, I believe.  
  
And on with the show!  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 1. Heaven and Earth  
  
* * *  
  
He raced through the tropical forest, his simple loincloth clinging to his legs with the sticky dew from the still-wet leaves. His heart pounded uncontrollably within his small chest. Finding a larger section of bushes, he ducked down and crawled in, grabbing his tail to hide as well. Soon, he could hear other footsteps pursuing his direction.  
  
"Brim! Where the hell are you?!"  
  
He couldn't hide his giggles as he hid from his older sister, Mara. Being only seven, he could still hide himself very well in small little nooks and crannies.   
  
It was a beautiful summer mid-morning and there was no way that he was going to do work around the village.  
  
He held his breath as her bare feet stopped directly in front of his location. He stared at her at the bracelets banded on her left ankle, signifying the family group she belonged to. He had the same bracelets on his own leg. Luckily, she must have not spot him and moved on.  
  
"C'mon, Brim! Mama's getting mad!" Mara's voice shouted into the bushes. "You were supposed to bring in the fishing nets with Papa! And now Mama is taking it out on me! Where are you?!"  
  
Her voice was growing distant… she was walking away from the bushes.  
  
Brim's golden eyes peaked between the leaves, making sure it was really alright for him to leave. He couldn't see her long, fair blonde hair anywhere. He poked his own scruffy head out from the brush, grinning like a fool.  
  
And someone attacked him from behind.   
  
The sharp rocks on the ground jutted into his palm pads as he landed, his assailant on top of him. He coughed and wheezed from the dust kicked up, and shoved the furry body aside.   
  
"What was that for, Breana?!" he cried, rubbing his sore hand.  
  
He glared angrily at his best friend's smirking face. The same blonde hair and golden brown fur that everyone in the tribe had.  
  
"Whatcha doin' Brim?" she purred, her tail twitching.  
  
"I'm hiding from Mara," he said. "I want to go out and play."  
  
Her ears perked up. "Quick! She's coming back!" Breana lunged forward and knocked Brim back into the bushes, her small body pinning him down. He began to protest, but she kneed him in the side.  
  
"Shhhhh!" she hissed, then looked out for Mara.  
  
She could hear the older cat-girl growling and muttering under her breath. "He's in so much trouble. This isn't my fault that he's gone…"   
  
Brim snorted. Breana brought down her hand on his nose and mouth, grinning evilly at him. As soon as Mara was out of sight, he shoved her off of him again, Breana laughing hysterically. He crossed his stripped arms across his bare chest.  
  
"So what do you want to do?" he asked.  
  
Breana wiped away her tears. "Well… you can't be seen down at the beach because of the fishers, right?"   
  
Brim nodded.   
  
"Then let's go play at the ruins!" She said cheerfully, standing up and straightening her thin sundress.  
  
"Isn't that place haunted or something?" he asked. "Mama said that no one should go to the ruins. Something happened a long time ago and now that place is forbidden."  
  
"Geez, you wuss," she replied. "You never do anything exciting, do you?"  
  
Brim looked down at the ground. "No," he pouted. "But Mama…"  
  
"Don't give me that! We're going!" She grabbed the end of his tail and pulled him towards the hidden bay area, opposite of where the village and main beach were. The crystalline water sparkled in the sun, catching every ray of its light. Sea gulls flew overhead, crying out for food from the two cat-children.   
  
"Your mama never told you about what really happened here?" Breana eyed him suspiciously.   
  
"No," he replied. "She just said that I shouldn't go to the ruins. Something… evil… is there."  
  
"Have you ever been curious of what was there?"  
  
He looked at her. "Of course I have!"  
  
Breana sighed. "My mama told me that 13 rotations ago, some people came from the main land. They flew here on these huge floating metal boats. There was some sort of small war here… right here on this beach, actually." She paused and looked out at the ocean. "Mama didn't know much of what happened, just stories from when the people came to the village to tend to some of the wounded. But she remembers seeing a light…" she pointing to the top of the cliff. "…coming from the temple that used to be there. One of the people… a young female human… stayed at the village and told Mama what happened. And you know what she said?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"That she locked away something up there in the temple… so that Gaea won't be plagued with hatred anymore… and that it may never be opened."  
  
Brim looked at her for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Weeeeeeoooooo! Breana, you sure make up the best stories!"  
  
"I don't make up stories! I tell the truth!"  
  
" 'Floating metal boats!' 'Light from the temple!'" he said. "I bet its just unstable or something. Now I really want to see this place!" He ran up on all fours to the large stone steps built into the side of the cliff.  
  
Breana snorted and followed after him. "Brim! Wait up!"  
  
The two cat-children chased after each other along the stone stairs, laughing and pouncing on the other. They pretended that the epic war that took place rotations ago was still in effect, make-believing that the warriors raced along these same steps. Within a quarter of a hour, they arrived at the top and could not believe what they saw.  
  
Stone blocks had crumbled to dust over the years, remaining in piles of where they once stood. Many of the columns had toppled over, cracked in several places as they lay on the ground. The vines from the tropical forest below had overtaken most of the ruins, making it a perfect place to play for an entire day.  
  
"Whoa…" was all that escaped from Brim's lips. He cautiously entered the temple, remembering that it was a holy and blessed place of worship to the Goddess of Gaea. Breana followed after him, her golden eyes large and taking in everything. It seemed too quiet for the middle of the day… they couldn't hear the sea gulls screaming anymore, nor could they hear the ocean waves meeting the shore.  
  
They picked their way to what seemed to be the center of the temple ruins. A large portion of the original wall remained intact, a faint design drawn by the cat-people's ancestors of the Lady that represented some mystical place called "Atlantis." Brim was aware of this temple for a long time, but his mother never told him to visit it. Why would she deny him his own beliefs?  
  
His sharp eyes spotted the fine detail of the woman upon the wall. She was obviously much older than he, but still a young adult. Her hair was too short for a female, though. All the cat-women in his tribe would only cut their hair in grief and mourning.   
  
His eye was then drawn to the large, pink gemstone that was centered in her chest. It seemed to be her necklace in the painting, but this was real. Someone had placed this stone in the wall.   
  
"Pretty…" he heard Breana murmur beside him. She crept forward, approaching it as if it were alive. A pile of the stone bricks lay next to the wall, a convenience to her as she climbed it with ease. Her fingers trailed over the smooth exterior as they made their way to the edge and began to pry it from the wall  
  
"Breana, I don't know if you should…" Brim cautioned her.  
  
"It's not doing much use to be up here, is it?" she replied, pulling harder. "This could help out everyone in the village for trade."  
  
"Yeah, but…"  
  
His heart leapt from its position in his chest to his throat. The stone was too heavy for Breana to handle as it fell to the hard ground. Time seemed to go much more slower until the exact moment it touched the floor.  
  
And shattered.  
  
An unearthly scream escaped from the broken stone, just as a blinding light filled the ruins. Brim and Breana both hid their eyes, not being able to take in the brightness. The light glowed a bright pink color, almost the same hue as the stone itself. Within a minute, it faded away to nothing.  
  
Brim's eyes adjusted as the light retreated, and he gasped to what he saw.  
  
A female human was lying on the floor in the exact place where the stone was destroyed. She was clearly nude, but two large feathery wings covered most of her body. Her skin was scratched all over. Some were scars, others were fresh. Her blonde hair was matted, no longer having a gleam.  
  
Breana scrambled down from where she stood on the pile and joined Brim by his side. They stared at this human, confused, scared, and not knowing what to do. He decided to be brave and approach her, just to see if she was alive.  
  
Her body was so still, a pale complexion overcoming her. He leaned in closer, taking silent steps until his nose was merely inches from hers. He sniffed her and shrugged his shoulders. At that moment, her eyes flew open, revealing her bloodshot sapphire eyes. She focused on the two children, growling at them and standing to her feet. Brim and Breana screamed loudly, running as fast as they could to get away from the demon.  
  
* * *  
  
She looked after the two cat-children as she climbed awkwardly to her feet. When was the last time that she used her own feet? Where had she been all this time? How long? It seemed only momentary and eternally at the same time.  
  
She needed answers.  
  
She looked down at her forearms, at the many cuts across her wrists. Why was she put in that place… that *hell*… what had she done…  
  
Looking down at her wrists again, she remembered everything… the light… the battle… the Power of Atlantis… that whore…  
  
That whore put me there! In my prison! She took everything away… she ruined everything!  
  
She clenched her hand into a fist, feeling her portion of the Power flow within her veins. No, she didn't get everything. Not all of it. I have some. Enough to keep me alive.  
  
What to do now, she thought. Zaibach is probably gone. I could rebuild the army, but that would take time. Besides, I *am* my own army now. But what am I going to do about that bitch that put me away?   
  
Her strength was coming back, much faster than she thought it would. She knew what she needed… to get the ultimate revenge on the one she hated… she just hoped it was still in the same place…   
  
With those thoughts in her mind to keep her going, Ashira spread her wings and took to the air.  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
Weeeeeeooooooo! I'm sorry it took so long to come out with the first chapter and I'm REALLY sorry its so short… but more is to come… oh yes… more is to come. Chapter title is what I believe to be a Cowboy Bebop song. I'm not exactly sure but there's a song on the Knockin' on Heaven's Door soundtrack called… crap, its either Fingers or Powder. But I swear in the chorus, they're chanting "heaven and earth." if not, it's a cool title and they should be saying it! Hopefully, I'll have more time to work on the next chapter… where we introduce more new characters. And the comebacks of our favorites. Wooo hoooo! 


	2. Sweet Child of Mine

Date. 03.04.2002  
Time. 6.30 pm  
Music. Vast "I'm Dying"  
Chapter 2  
  
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters. Blah.  
  
Author's Notes. I am a little saddened by lack of response to the first chapter I put out a couple days ago. Should I stop now? Let Rota Fortunae stand by itself? The last one was more of a prologue than a true chapter so this one will definitely be longer. Those two kids at the beginning won't be in the story at all, they just introduced the scene. MY GOD! I need to get the American release poster of the movie. Its gorgeous. I need it hanging on my wall. To add to my collection. BTW, for those of you that were unhappy with no V/H last chapter, both return in this one to appease you. Thanks.  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 2. Sweet Child of Mine  
  
* * *  
  
5 colors/months later…  
  
The ancient one opened a weary eyelid, the first time after centuries of dormancy. Something had called to him within his mind, waking him from his slumber. Could it be that it was his time to move on? That his purpose was fulfilled?  
  
He stood slowly, still a little unsure about his stability. It had been so long since he had used his muscles that they were shaky under his weight. He tried to focus his eyes to become used to the darkness in the temple room. Even with his sharp sight, he still had trouble focusing. He still recognized the area that he was in, the same that he had slept in for countless years now. He stretched and yawned loudly, the sound echoing in the walls.  
  
my dear friend… i am so sorry to wake you…  
  
His head perked up quickly as soon as he heard her voice in the silence. *My old friend!* he replied joyously. *It has been too long!*  
  
yes, it has… far too long…  
  
*What is this world like? I would like to see the sun before I go*  
  
you will see the sun once more… but the world has changed much, my friend… the woman's voice spoke into his mind, her tone sounding somewhat saddened. the people no longer have the appreciation for the land they live on… fewer and fewer each day… there is war and greed and hatred among the hearts of man and beast-man alike…  
  
He was puzzled. *But what of the Child?* he asked cautiously. *Is it time or not? Do thee mean that there is no more hope?*  
  
The woman let out a ringing laugh. no, no… the child lives… and there is hope left… i just don't know how this is all going to work… this child… she has some sort of quality about her… she is clouded from my sight…  
  
He cocked his head. *Does she know of her purpose?*  
  
She snorted in reply. she doesn't even know what she is… what power flows within her… her mother knows a little, from what i have told her… but even the lady of atlantis can't feel her own daughter…  
  
*Am I needed just yet?*  
  
i am sorry, my friend… but you were awakened a wee bit earlier than your time… but she will come to you… i know of that… within a week or so… and at that point, you will explain to her…  
  
*I have been alive for thousands of years. A week more will be nothing*  
  
but you do know what this means for you, correct?  
  
He sighed. *I have been waiting for this time ever since I was told of my connection with this child. Ever since the Great Armor was created so long ago. I am prepared and welcome it.*  
  
sleep a little while longer, my friend… i will see you soon… with the child…  
  
*What is this Child like?*  
  
The woman's voice laughed again, this time, much louder. she is a stubborn one… just like her father… but she has her mother's heart and strength… she belongs in the wild… the creatures flock to her… but she has never seen one of your kind… so be cautious about her and don't frighten her…  
  
*And I suppose she will not see another one besides me?*  
  
no, my friend… you are the last…  
  
*I see* he said sadly. The last of his kind… *But this is all for the sake of Gaea. Whatever is necessary*  
  
sleep longer… soon you may sleep forever… With that, the voice left his mind, leaving him alone in his thoughts.  
  
I shall welcome that, too… he thought as he lowered his head upon the hard ground. His eyelid slowly covered his golden eyes, allowing him the darkness he desired.  
  
The Child… he thought as he drifted off to sleep once more. What is she like?  
  
Soon, the great red dragon was asleep, awaiting for his time to come, so that he could fulfill his purpose.   
  
* * *  
  
Her eyes flew open in a daze. Something had woken her from her nap, though she was not quite sure on exactly what. A tingling sensation almost, racing through her thoughts. What was that? Was it some sort of odd dream? Or maybe it was something else…  
  
Her long tumbles of dark hair blew gently across her skin. She brushed the locks away and gazed heavenwards, managing to see the noonday sun peaking between the tree leaves. Birds chirped gleefully as they flew across the sky, their fragile wings beating in a steady rhythm. To fly… to have that kind of freedom…  
  
She sat up from her makeshift bed underneath the old gnarled trunk. Its roots cradled her gently as she napped. A large gray furry face rested on her thigh, his large eyes shut tight in slumber. She scratched her wolf's head, just behind the ears where he liked it. Her faithful companion for two years now.  
  
A sudden splash in the water turned her attention from the sky to the lake before her. Her fishing line jerked slightly, causing small ripples in the still water.   
  
"Lupin," she whispered. "Let me up!"  
  
The wolf lifted his head obediently. She eagerly jumped to her feet and raced to wear she had tied the line to one of the above-ground roots. Her bare feet slipped a little in the muddy banks as she grabbed the thin string. She pulled with all her might, but the line would not budge. A strong fish, she thought.  
  
"Darmen!" she shouted back to the tree. "Help me!"  
  
A bright orange head poked itself out of the branches. "Why?" he asked innocently.  
  
"Just do it! This one is huge!" her raven dark hair fell from her loose knot.   
  
"You woke me up, Sellie," he yawned. "What do I get?"  
  
"You can have the fish, Darmen!" she said, laughing loudly. "Just *help* me!"  
  
"Right-o, Your Highness!" His head disappeared back into the leaves, and within a second, a young cat-boy climbed down the tree's trunk with ease. His tan breeches match the same color of his fur, with freckle-like spots covering him. He grabbed the line next to her and pulled with her.  
  
"Gods, Sellie!" he panted. "What did you catch… a water-dragon or something?"  
  
"Shut up and help me pull…" she growled in reply.  
  
She slipped even more in the mud, the hems of her khaki breeches staining in the dark sludge. With one more final pull, they manage to bring forth the mighty fish from the lake.  
  
Or rather… the mighty stick.  
  
Darmen howled with laughter. He fell to the ground, rolling around in the grassy area just above the mucky bank. Sellie stared in amazement at her opponent. A mere stick.  
  
"That is the greatest thing I've seen in a looooong time!" he managed to croak out between his fits. "Even better than when my brother landed in the pile of manure! No, no… this tops them all!"   
  
Sellie glared at him. "Must I remind you of the time that *you* were the one that caused that stampede out in the cattle pasture, making them break down the fence and running into the city?"  
  
Darmen's laughing subsided until it was soft giggles.  
  
"That's better," she grinned back at him. "Besides, I'm two years older than you are."  
  
He looked at her with large brown eyes. "What does that have to do with anything?" he asked.  
  
"It means that I can still do this!" With those words, she leapt towards the cat-boy and pinned him to the ground, tickling his sides.  
  
"Please… no… stop! Sellie!" he shouted in his laughter.   
  
She grinned at him again, her green eyes sparkling devilishly.  
  
"Ha!" She crawled off of him, allowing him to sit up.  
  
"Don't you have your lessons this afternoon?" he asked, wiping away his tears.  
  
Her mind panicked. Noon. Lessons in a half-hour. Crap.  
  
She picked up her satchel and slipped on her sandals. "I'll see you later, Darmen!" she shouted over her shoulder. The cat-boy started laughing once more and waved.  
  
She untied her horse's reins and mounted him with a single swing of her body. She dug her heals into his silvery side, urging him forward.  
  
"Lupin! Let's go!" she called back to her friend. The young wolf leapt to his feet and followed her horse, his tongue sticking out as he ran.  
  
Her steed was fast, but she would still arrive late. He galloped through the forest path, then burst out of the brush to the open road. His hooves hit the hard ground with a rhythmic pounding. She soon flowed with his stride, making the ride more enjoyable.  
  
A loud machine sound broke through the stillness of the spring day. She broke out of her merge with the horse and looked up. The large leviship floated above her, its motors resonating and its sails unfurled. Many ships come and go to Fanelia, but she recognized this one instantly.  
  
The Crusade.  
  
Her father was coming home.  
  
* * *  
  
The sweet smell of spring blossoms filled her nose as she took a deep breath. Her heart pounded steadily within her breast after her long daily run. She found it extremely important to stay in shape at her age, so she devoted herself to exercise everyday. Her course was the same each time. Beginning with the warm up stretches she had learned years ago from her high school track coach, she loosened her muscles so that she would not cramp up. She then would start out in the back of the palace, jog alongside the perimeter of the courtyard twice, pick up her knees climbing up the hill in the shaded tunnel of trees to the monuments of the past kings, and wind up back where she had started with a full sprint.   
  
She bent down and touched her toes, also managing to look at her old running shoes, one of the only items she brought with her when she arrived at Gaea unexpectedly 13 years ago. They had grown so worn that she took them down to the cobbler's on numerous occasions. The man had never seen such a pair of shoes and offered his services to her wholeheartedly. She could see where they had been patched up several times.  
  
Her running clothes had long been worn out by too many washings. She settled for a simple lightweight shirt and cut the leg parts off of pants. They managed well, though she would rather have the windbreaker material. She didn't like how these clung to her after her workout due to the sweat. Luckily, she still wore her hair short, so it would stay off her neck.  
  
"My Lady!" she heard someone call her from behind.  
  
Hitomi quickly stood up and whirled around. "Yes?" she replied politely as she took a deep breath.  
  
A young boy, no older than 17 years of age rushed towards her, bowing at the waist before he stood up. He was obviously nervous, having never addressed the Queen face-to-face before.  
  
"My… Your Highness… I mean…" he stammered.  
  
Hitomi raised her hand to stop him. "It's alright…" she said. " 'Hitomi' will do just fine."  
  
"Okay…" he said cautiously. "My Lady Hitomi… there's a man here requesting to have an audience with you as soon as possible."  
  
"Man?" she asked as she stretched her arms to the sky. "Does this man have a name?"  
  
"Taen, My Lady Hitomi…" the messenger replied.  
  
"Thank you, Sir Rouen," she nodded her head, then hurried inside to the palace.   
  
"He's in the throne room, My Lady!" he called after her.  
  
* * *  
  
Hitomi recognized the man as soon as she entered the room. Short and a little overweight, he stood in the middle of the great room, nervous and uncomfortable. He fumbled around with his cap, his graying hair touching his shoulders in dirty curls.  
  
"I'm sorry, my friend," she said as she entered the room. "I beg your forgiveness that I did not change after my run. I found that this was more important than my appearance."  
  
Taen gave her an awkward bow. "No.. no, My Lady," he stuttered. "I'm grateful that you were able to see me so soon."  
  
"When Rouen told me your name, I knew what this was about," she said, walking over to her seat.   
  
"It happened again last night," he began. "This horrible fever and then this morning, she coughed up blood. I went to every Healer I could find in the city, but none of them knew what was wrong."  
  
"Taen, you know you could have come here first," Hitomi said. "Your daughter is worth it to wake us up in the middle of the night. I do not mind it, really." She looked over at one of the guards posted at the front entrance. "Would you be kind enough to find me Kayla?"  
  
The guard hit his chest with a fist. "Aye, My Lady," he said in a monotone, then left the room.  
  
"Kayla is the palace's own private Healer, Taen," she turned her attention back to the elderly man. "I'm sending her down with you to diagnose what is wrong with your daughter and she can help find the cure."  
  
Taen's eyes watered a bit. "She is all that is left in my life," he said, a little choked up. "You are wonderful, My Lady." He turned around and hobbled out of the room, joining Kayla, who had just entered.  
  
Hitomi looked after the two as they left her alone in the room and sighed. The poor girl. She hoped that this could help her out. She felt that there was more that she should do.  
  
good job, love… a familiar voice entered her mind.  
  
Hitomi snorted loudly as she collapsed in the throne. how many times have i told you… don't peak in on me!  
  
He chuckled in her mind in reply.  
  
so where are you? i thought you would still be in cassia for another week… she asked.  
  
look out the window, love…  
  
Her heart jumped as soon as those words sounded in her thoughts. She leapt from her seat and ran over to one of the large windows overlooking the massive courtyard.  
  
There he was, standing in the middle of the open area, his body showing obvious signs of lack of sleep. His eyes were weary, his hair hung limply, and he looked rather uncomfortable. But none of that mattered to her. He was back home.  
  
She raced out of the throne room and flew down the steps to the court. He met her at the base, where she leapt into his arms, locking her long legs around behind his back. He encircled her own waist and hugged her back.  
  
"Oof!" Van gasped in reply, but gladly accepted her affections. "You missed me, huh?"  
  
Hitomi snaked her arms around his neck. "That's it," she said, her lips pouting. "You're *not* leaving me again… do you hear me?"  
  
"I'm sorry! It's not my fault that I have to be present in Cassia for a treaty!"  
  
She raised her eyebrow and looked at him with no hint of belief in her expression. He glanced away. "All right! All right! So it is in Fanelia's best interest that we are allies with Cassia." His forehead touched hers as he returned the stare into her own eyes. "But I was thinking about you the entire time."  
  
Hitomi smirked. "Trying to sweet talk your way out of this, aren't you?"   
  
Someone cleared their throat too loudly, making the two break from their union. Hitomi sighed, gave him a quick kiss, and hopped down from his arms.   
  
"Hello, Palos," Van said with a slight hint of disappointment in his voice. His hand sought for Hitomi's, needing just to feel her next to him. "Later tonight, alright?" he whispered into her ear. She nodded.   
  
"Welcome back, Sire," the elderly man replied cheerfully, arranging his Royal Advisor's robes. "There are some documents you need to sign in your study." He followed the two young "I trust that all has gone well with Cassia?"  
  
Van held Hitomi closer to him as they continued up the steps. "Uh… it could have gone better than expected. I didn't want it to take a couple of weeks like it has."  
  
"But you weren't due back until next week," Hitomi pointed out. "Now, I'm serious. What are you doing here so soon?"  
  
"The King of Cassia let us take a short break between meetings so that we could go get our families," he replied.  
  
"Families? For what?"  
  
"It's his birthday in a few days… and since he's taken a liking to all his new comrades, he's invited us to his celebration. He asked specifically for me to bring you and Sellie back with me." He looked around. "And speaking of families, where is that demon we call a daughter?"  
  
"She's *supposed* to be in her lessons at the moment, My Lord," Palos spoke up rather quickly. "But apparently, she found it much more amusing to skip her teachings and running out and about the countryside."  
  
Sounds familiar… Van mused. I did it all the time with Folken and Merle. He looked over at his wife. "Do you know where she is?" he asked. "You know…" he looked down and fingered the pink pendant that sat on her chest.  
  
She closed her eyes for a moment and clenched the stone, her brow furrowed in frustration. "I can't See her," she sighed. "It's almost as if she's in a fog. I never know where that girl is. We need to talk to her about this."  
  
"It'll be alright, love," Van said as he looked at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to the study now and sign those papers," he said. "Allen, Celena, and the crew are still on board the Crusade if you want to go greet them. They're staying until we go back to Cassia in a few days."  
  
Hitomi nodded. "I'll make sure that someone helps them find rooms, but I really need to soak for awhile. I got sore from that last run." She turned to Palos. "Please tell me when Sellie gets in."   
  
"She'll come back soon enough, My Lady… don't worry…" he muttered. "She has to eat sometime."  
  
To be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
Sorry it took so long. I'm in the process of art finals right now and they're going to kill me. Please please PLEASE let me know what you think. Should I just stop now? PLEASE let me know. This chapter was originally going to be twice as long because I couldn't find a good stopping point, but this one will just have to do. This one is going to be pretty long, methinks. Longer than RF. So it's gonna be awhile. Next chapter, I'll get up maybe a week from Friday because that's when my spring break is. I'm going to Chicago… and I'm going to freeze.   
  
Chapter title comes from Guns and Roses' song "Sweet Child of Mine" (uh… yeah…) Sheryl Crow did a cover of it for Big Daddy, I believe. 


	3. Peace of Mind

Date. 03.16.2002  
Time.12.26 am  
Music. I am actually watching the Vision of Escaflowne as we speak. I'm at the part when Hitomi is unconscious and Van (squee!) brings her back with the CPR stuff.  
Chapter 3  
  
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters. I do, however, own all the characters that I did create.  
  
Author's Notes. Well! After careful consideration and a positive influence of feedback (especially jojo and riverdolphin-- THANKS =^^= ) I have decided to continue with the story. I have too many ideas to let them go to waste. I wasn't having a good couple of weeks and I just wanted to stop doing everything for awhile. But now the kat is great, so off I go again, avoiding my workies for finals. Oops. Amaiko, you asked if you could use Ashira to represent the Devil or something for Tarot cards perhaps? That is totally cool… GO FOR IT!!! And when you're done, I want to see!!   
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 3. Peace of Mind  
  
* * *  
  
Damn it, Khan! Move faster!  
  
Sellie mentally screamed at the horse, gripping his mane and falling into his rhythm once more. She hated using reins, so she tied them to the saddle horn. Everything flew besides her as she and the beast moved as one along the dirt main road. She glanced behind her, seeing Lupin keeping up with them at a remarkable rate.  
  
The castle walls were within her sights as she rounded the corner. A wagon drawn by four horses ambled along slowly, blocking the entire width of the road. Sellie urged Khan to pass them.  
  
"Heya, Princess!" the man from the cart shouted to her as she raced by them. "Good day to you!" He tipped his cap.  
  
"Good day to you, sir!" she replied politely, and tightened her hold on Khan's mane. She waved up to the sentries for them to open the main gates. One of them waved back, and signaled for the large, double doors to unlock. She didn't have to prove to them that she was Fanelian and royalty; she past by these same guards almost everyday with Khan and Lupin that they knew her instantly.  
  
Khan's hooves suddenly hit the cobblestone streets with such an impact that he stumbled a bit, but soon returned to his normal pace. Sellie didn't bother slowing him down… she knew that at this rate, he wouldn't until he reached the stables.  
  
Unfortunately, it was in the middle of the busiest time of the day in the market area. The streets were filled with people selling products, women drying lines of clothes, children playing with toy swords. Khan managed to maneuver around the pedestrians with ease and ran up the hill to the peak of the capital.  
  
As soon as she past the entry, she spotted the Crusade on the landing pad, its motors winding down. She could see some of the crew unloading and tying up the fans, but she didn't recognize any of them. Did Allen get new members?  
  
Khan finally slowed down, but still pranced about in front of the barn. One of the stable boys came out quickly and held his reins as Sellie dismounted.  
  
"You know, Highness," he said as he stroked Khan's silver coat. "You shouldn't let him run into the palace at that speed. It's really dangerous."  
  
She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed her bag from the saddle. "I don't control him. He does whatever he likes."  
  
He shook his head and pulled Khan into the stables. Sellie blew a kiss after him and he whickered.   
  
She swung her satchel around herself and briskly walked across the courtyard. She couldn't see her parents anywhere, but that did not mean anything. For some reason, her mother had an adept sense that she seemed to know everything, as though she could see right through her and know the contents of her mind. Sellie felt that she could never hide anything from her. It must have been one of those skills she had from living on the Mystic Moon for so long.  
  
She loved her parents dearly. At some times, they acted like they were her own age. And then they could turn around and rule Fanelia with such wisdom and dignity. No wonder the people of their country adored their rulers… they were so… human and normal.   
  
She strived to make them proud of her, sometimes going out of her way to make them smile. Apparently, her mother had done amazing things for Gaea when she was a teenager… long before Sellie was born. Whenever the Knight Caeli Allen Schezar and his Crusade crew would come and visit them, she would sit down and listen to their stories of their travels, especially the ones during the Great War. Allen would say something about Mother and she would blush profusely. "Stop it, Allen! You're teasing!" she would say sometimes.  
  
But all of them… Allen, Mother, Father, the crew… they were all hiding something from her and it was killing her to know what.   
  
"Selmé!" someone shouted. She spun around quickly, expecting to see her mother's face with her arms crossed,   
  
Instead, she spotted Celena waving at her.  
  
"Celena!" she shrieked and ran over to her. The silver-haired woman dropped her bags and greeted the girl with a warm hug.  
  
"Hello, my dear!" she said. "How have you been?"  
  
Sellie broke away. "I'm good, life is good." She looked at her. Celena wore dark brown pants with a tight vest over a white shirt. A large leather belt sat loosely off her hips with a long dagger at her side. Her long hair was tied back into a simple braid. "How are you? Did you bring my father home?"  
  
Celena nodded. "Yep, but only for a few days. He's got to go back to Cassia." She grinned. "And I think he has a surprise for you, too. He's been talking about it the entire trip."  
  
Sellie shifted uneasily. "I can't see him just yet…" she said. "I'm supposed to be in lessons right now and…"  
  
"Ah," she replied, holding up her hand to stop her. "Say no more. I know of this 'skipping of learning' that you speak of." She looked around. "He's already gotten off the Crusade. I don't know where he went… he had to see Hitomi… Allen's right behind me." She gave Sellie another hug. "But I'll make sure that I distract whoever I see… and then, tonight… do I have some stories to tell you."  
  
Sellie beamed. "Thanks!" she said, then snuck into the palace.  
  
Celena looked after the girl just as Allen walked up behind her, his long blonde hair swaying in the breeze.  
  
"Wasn't that Selmé?" he asked. His sister nodded in reply. "What makes me think that we can't tell Hitomi about this little incident?"  
  
"Tell me what?" a cheery voice made the two siblings turn around.  
  
"Hitomi!" Allen and Celena cried at the same time, embracing their friend. She let out a ringing laugh as she returned the gesture.   
  
"I'm glad to you see you, too!" she said. "This was unexpected."  
  
"Well, you know Van…" Celena said. "Couldn't stand being so far away from you for such a long time."  
  
Hitomi blushed. She shook her head and smiled again. "Come in… I'm sorry I'm not dressed appropriately or what… I was running and, oh whatever… We have some rooms ready… you guys know where they are, right?"  
  
"Of course…" Allen picked up Celena's bags as well as his own. "It's not like we practically live here or anything." He joined the other Crusade members and walked into the palace. The two women slowly followed.  
  
"So how are you, my friend?" Celena asked her. "I haven't spoken to you in such a long time."  
  
Hitomi sighed. "I'm good, I'm good… you know, I still think about home everything…" she gestured to the Earth above, barely visible in the daylight. "I try not to let Van think I miss it constantly… but it's kinda hard not to. I mean, it's where I was born and raised."  
  
Celena nodded in agreement. "But your transition from the Mystic Moon to Gaea was alright, right? From all the stories that you told us about your planet, it would seemed like it would be difficult."  
  
Hitomi kicked the ground. "It was a little, but Van was there… every step of the way… so were all my friends here… you, Allen, Merle, Millerna, Dryden…" She quickly added. "But I'm fine now. 100 percent Gaean!"  
  
The young women giggled softly. "And how is Merle doing?"  
  
"She's been really busy with the twins lately… they're almost four years old now… Sellie and I help her out, but I can see into her heart that she is lonely."  
  
Celena shook her head. "Poor Nehte… he never got see his own children."  
  
"Van feels horrible for sending him on that carrier ship… we never knew that it would malfunction and crash… Merle hasn't shown any accusation towards him, but he still feels like its his own fault."   
  
"Where is Merle now? I would like to see her and play with the twins."  
  
"Hmmmm…" Hitomi thought. "She might be in the Nursery. I'm sure that the twins would love another playmate."  
  
"Alright, I'll let you go off and take your bath." Celena quickly gave her a kiss on the cheek. "We'll talk later, okay?" She turned and walked up to where the sleeping quarters were.  
  
"By the way, Celena…" she called after her. "You haven't seen Sellie, have you?"  
  
Celena grinned. "Nope."  
  
* * *  
  
"Lupin, be quiet!" she hissed at the wolf following her. He lowered his ears and his tail ducked between his hind legs. His nails were clipping along the hardwood floors, making a ruckus that could raise suspicion.  
  
Not that her obvious state of uncleanness would give her away. She had mud caked from her ankles to her knees with leaves stuck in her messy hair. Her pants were cut half way up her calf, and also stained by the mud. She did not even bother wearing her sandals. She shoved them into her bag. Maybe she could get to her bedroom in time and change her clothes. Just maybe.  
  
She slipped in unnoticed by the servants wandering around the palace, tending to their daily duties. It's not like they would be looking for her. She found these people to be kind and sometimes, sneak her snacks after hours.  
  
She drew back some drapery and peaked outside, seeing Celena talking to her mother. Good, she'll distract her. But where is Father?  
  
She shrugged her shoulders and continued to her room. The hallway was empty and long, towards a secluded part of the castle. It contained her own room, a few guestrooms, her father's study, and the Nursery. Her parents' room was the next hall over, so perhaps Father went there first to drop off his bags.  
  
She walked casually down the long corridor and did not happen to notice that the study door was open wide.  
  
"Selmé!" a deep masculine voice called after her, a voice she recognized all too well.   
  
She sighed and backtracked to the open doorway. "Hi, Daddy," she said meekly.  
  
Van stood at his desk with his back facing her, his body bent over the counter. He held a quill and was signing some documents. He wore his everyday clothes that made him seem comfortable.   
  
"So were the fish biting today?" he asked calmly, not looking up as he scribbled his signature at the bottom of the page.  
  
Sellie snorted. "More like tree branches," she muttered. "I'm sorry I'm not in lessons today, Daddy, but… it was too nice of a day! I couldn't be stuck in there listening to Palos drown on about famous military actions that happened long ago!"  
  
"Those 'famous military actions' turned what are now the countries of Gaea as they are today," he replied coolly.   
  
"But you and Uncle Folken used to go out, too! You said it yourself!"  
  
Van mentally winced at the sound of his brother's name but ignored it. "And you shouldn't base your actions on what me and Folken did." He turned around. "Aren't you going to give me a hug or what?" he asked, grinning.  
  
She looked at him cautiously. "Am I in trouble?" she asked.  
  
"As long as you don't go out again…" he said. Or get caught.  
  
Sellie slowly smiled and ran into his open arms. "How was Cassia?" she asked.  
  
"Long… tiring… but it was alright in general," he said as they broke the embrace. "Dryden and Millerna were there… so was Rouen."  
  
Sellie stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Ugh… I'm glad I wasn't dragged along."  
  
"Funny you should mention that… I'm going back in a few days, and I'm bringing you and Hitomi with me."  
  
"WHAT?!" Sellie shouted in protest and surprise. "Why?"  
  
"King Ladron wanted to meet you," Van said. "He has a son about your age too. The three of you should have fun together."  
  
"The last time I saw Rouen, he put a big knot in my hair, Daddy," she pouted. "Somehow I think I won't be too pleased to see him again."  
  
He chuckled. "Well, we'll see… but you're still coming. You'll like Cassia. It's also a mountain valley country, but theirs is a lot more open than Fanelia. There is a huge lake and waterfall and… wait a minute… I forgot about something…"  
  
He reached over to his small leather bag resting upon the old mahogany desk, next to the formal papers he had just signed. "I saw this in the marketplace and I know that your birthday isn't for another seven colors… but I thought of you when I saw it."  
  
He handed her a rectangular box covered in parchment paper. She took the package into her hands and removed the paper gently. Under her fingers, she could feel the smooth glaze of wood as she revealed a hand carved box. The intricate design of ivy leaves wove on all sides of the box. A large flying dragon symbol sat upon the lid, with ruby eyes staring back at her. She ran her fingers over the cut wood.  
  
"Daddy…" she murmured. "It's beautiful… I don't know what to say… thank you."  
  
"Open it," he said, leaning on his desk with his arms crossed. He loved watching the way her eyes lit up, just like her mother's.  
  
She cracked the lid and could hear the whirring of a mechanism inside. As she pulled the lid up, simple notes struck and a melody played. She did not recognized the tune, but it sounded like a lullaby she once knew.  
  
"The vender that sold it to me said that this was an old song that was sung long ago in Cassia," Van said as the music played. "He didn't know what the lyrics were, but he told me about the story of the song.  
  
"It's about a faerie-child that lived in the forest long ago. She danced upon the wildflowers with her bare feet, and there were flowers and ivy tied into her hair. She was a free-spirit… nothing could hold her down. She never listened to her other faerie-kin, she just lived on her own free will.  
  
"One day, she came across an ancient dragon that made her realize her destiny… and she finally settled down, though her wild spirit still resided in her heart."  
  
Sellie looked up at her father, then back at the box. "Why did this make you think of me?" she asked, afraid of his answer.  
  
Van chuckled. "I'm not too sure… I laid my hand upon it, and a vision of you flashed into my mind… and I've learned from Hitomi to go with my instinct…"  
  
"It's wonderful, Daddy… thank you again," Sellie said, her eyes sparkling. She gave her father a quick kiss on the cheek, not noticing that Van's face was filled with amazement and surprise. When he stood back up, he shook his head.  
  
"So what have you been up to since I've been gone?" he asked as they left his study and pursued down the hall towards Sellie's room.  
  
"Not much… studying, helping Aunt Merle with the twins, fishing, sparring lessons… I totally beat General Tybel during one of my lessons. You should have seen it, the castle samurai were laughing so hard and General Tybel turned this bright shade of red. Mom was watching, too… she just smiled…"  
  
"I wish I was here to see that…" Van said thoughtfully, picturing the tall, strong experienced warrior with a blade at his throat from a small 13 year-old girl.  
  
They reached her room and she pushed the wooden doors open. Her room was furnished with matching dark pink draperies and comforters. Her large bed was covered with many pillows, each one different from the next. The doors to her balcony were open slightly as a gentle spring breeze blew the curtains about. She walked across the room and shut them. She then walked to her nightstand and placed the music box next to her candle. Lupin settled himself upon her bed and soon fell asleep.  
  
Van leaned in the entrance, watching his daughter wander about her room. His heir to Fanelia. His own flesh and blood. The life that he and Hitomi created together.  
  
"Daddy? Would you like to spar with me some time today?" she asked softly.  
  
"Huh?" he broke from his reverie. "Later this afternoon… is that alright? We'll make it a date."  
  
She nodded as she grabbed some clean garments from her armoire. "I'm really happy you've returned… there was something in the back of my mind… a voice… that was telling me that Cassia wasn't safe… but you're safe now."  
  
She waved good-bye and walked into her bathroom. Van remained in the door jam, still staring after her. He shrugged his shoulders and left the room, heading back towards his study. Suddenly, a memory flashed into his mind.  
  
---Hitomi screamed again… and there was nothing he could do for her.  
  
Van leapt from his hard chair leaning in the hallway. A few servants had brought them for the impatient crew waiting there. He hadn't really been using one… instead, he paced across the floor so much, he thought that there would be an intention of where he walked.   
  
Before he could reach the double-doors, both Allen and Gaddes caught him. He tried to break free, but the combined strength of the two older men overcame him.  
  
"Van! Calm down! This will all be over soon!" the Knight Caeli shouted at him, but the sound didn't register to him as words.   
  
"But she… Hitomi… she…" he blurted out.   
  
"Lord Van! She's in good hands! Millerna is in there with her!" he could hear Merle shout at him. He sighed… and finally gave up struggling, retreating back to his chair.  
  
Allen and Gaddes let go of him, joining Dryden along side the wall. Celena stood on the other side of the King of Asturia, holding his own first born… a son already eleven colors previously last Yellow. Merle and her fiancée, Nehte, sat upon the other chairs that the servants brought.   
  
Van felt insignificant as he remained on his chair, nervously tapping his foot. He could hear moans of pain and urgent commands from the midwives from inside. Millerna had forbade Van to come inside, saying only the nurses could be with her. He began to protest, but the Queen simply shut the door in his face.  
  
do not worry, child… i am with her as well…  
  
That familiar airy voice entered his mind again. Gaea?  
  
i am with her…  
  
Somehow, her simple words comforted him a bit. He eased into his chair.  
  
Minutes went by as if they were hours. Tension filled the hall as each second passed. Van cringed each time he heard her scream. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.  
  
He sent her his emotions filled with love and support along their psychic link.   
  
Hitomi… I know you can do this… you are stronger than any other person I know… just breathe… keep them constant… I believe in you…  
  
He received ragged visions in his head… emotions of pain… and of peace. Van…  
  
Suddenly, the screams stopped. Only one resonated in the large birthing room. An infant cry.  
  
All the tension that had weighted his shoulders lifted with hearing the voice of his child. He drew his head up to see the worry fade away from his comrades into happiness and relief.  
  
Merle gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Go and see Hitomi, Van," she whispered into his ear. "I'm sure she wants to introduce you to someone."  
  
He looked at his cat-girl friend with wide eyes, then returned his gaze to the doors. They parted in the middle, revealing a woman with black hair in rippling curls tied back into a loose knot. Her green eyes stared into his, revealing all the truth and wisdom that she knew of. Though he had not seen her for awhile now, she still looked the same… never aging.  
  
"Gaea…" he whispered.  
  
"Congratulations, Van Slanzar de Fanel," she continued, ignoring the fact that he recognized her in the midwife clothing. "You are a father."  
  
He looked at her in confusion, then smiled softly. "Thank you, My Lady," he said, bowing to her. She nodded her head in reply, then moved aside so that he could enter the room.  
  
He entered cautiously. The room had been sterilized in order of operation. A few of the nurses were cleaning their stations… folding away towels and extra swaddling. But as soon as they saw Van enter, they quickly stopped and bowed their heads to the ground. He didn't bother correcting them… telling them that he hated formalities. All he cared about was Hitomi.  
  
She lay upon the bed with a bundle of white linens to her breast. Millerna was dabbing her face with a cool towel, but moved out of the way when she saw Van. Her hair clung to her brow with sweat and she looked extremely tired… but Van had never seen the way she glowed with beauty before. She looked up to him, her eyes showing signs of bliss and release.   
  
"Hi," she whispered to him, forcing a smile. He sat upon the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb her.  
  
"Hey… how are you feeling, love?" he asked, grazing the side of her face.  
  
"Sleepy… I'm going to sleep for a long time after this… but otherwise, I'm fine." She glanced down at the bundle, then back up at him. "Van… this is your daughter."  
  
His words were caught in his throat. I'm a father… I'm a father… I have a daughter… Hitomi shifted the child into his arms and pulled back the blanket. Van nervously peaked in.  
  
A tiny face stared back at him, her skin flushed a bright pink. A layer of black fuzz adorned the top of her head. Her eyelashes were long, he noticed, as she continued to blink her green eyes, not yet used to this strange new world.   
  
This child… this child is me and Hitomi… she is so beautiful…  
  
"What are we going to call her, Van?" his wife asked.   
  
"I… I don't know yet…" he stammered, not tearing his eyes away from the baby. "I haven't really thought of anything… you know?"  
  
"Don't worry…" she said, calmly smiling and touching his arm. "We'll think of something perfect for our child."---  
  
Van could remember that day as vividly as every time he had been with Hitomi before that. He could not believe that it had almost 20 years since they had known each other… since that fateful day with the land-dragon.  
  
He sighed. What would his life be like without Hitomi or Sellie? He tried not to think of what he would be like. The two of them would be all he needed.  
  
He returned to his study and finished the rest of his papers. He let his mind drift and wondered what Hitomi was doing at that moment. He had told her that he would see her later on that night… but he couldn't help wanting to see her earlier.  
  
He rolled up the parchments and left them on his desk. Hitomi was going to go take a bath to relax her muscles… he thought. Maybe she would like a massage as well.  
  
Van grabbed his traveling pack and walked to the next hall where his and Hitomi's room was. Maybe I should sneak in and surprise her.  
  
He opened the door cautiously and shut it without a sound.  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
WEEEEEEOOOOOO! SPRING BREAK!!! Freeeeeeedom! Hehe, I am a big dork. Sorry this took so long to write, but I had a lot of drawing finals and papers. Dear God did they take forever. But I am done with this quarter and next one, I don't know how frequently I will be able to. I have 3 studios. That may not seem like a lot to you guys, but having two is enough. I'm taking Life Drawing, 3D design, and Computer Applications. I am going to be a tired little kitten! But I have nothing better to do this week… 'cept for going to Hot Topic to check out all the Invader Zim stuff and having a Cowboy Bebop marathon (or a "Bebopathon" as I call it =^^= ) anyhow, I will get working on it and have it out soon!! THANKS!  
  
Chapter title comes from the song "Call Me, Call Me" from Cowboy Bebop. I blast it from my dorm room and I can't tell you how many people come by and say that that is their favorite song EVER! And then there are those that tell me to turn off my music… again and again. 


	4. Dance Upon the Air

Date. 03.31.2002  
Time. 4.45 pm  
Music. My Spring Break Mix 2002 that my roomie made me  
Chapter 4  
  
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or its characters… just the characters that I created. If you would like to use them, it would be alright with me, just ask first.  
  
Author's Notes. Well! Another chapter is upon me. Actually, this one and the previous chapter were going to be one long one, but I decided that it would seem out of place compared to the length of the other ones. This is a mostly Van/Hitomi chapter for those of you who have been waiting for it. There will be other characters in it, just not really involved with them. I don't know what I'm talking about at the moment… it is tooo early for this kat to be awake. And sick as well. Alright, here we go!!!  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 4. Dance Upon the Air  
  
* * *  
  
It is sweet to dance to violins  
When Love and Life are Fair:  
To dance to flutes, to dance to lutes  
Is delicate and rare:  
But it is not sweet with nimble feet   
To dance upon the air!  
  
--Oscar Wilde  
  
* * *  
  
As Sellie walked down the hallway in her fresh clean clothes, she noticed how oddly silent the castle seemed to be. Usually, at this time of day, there were people all over. However, the stillness was uncomforting and peculiar.  
  
Well, at least she got out of going to lessons for a day, she thought. Its almost three in the afternoon anyway.   
  
As she walked past the Nursery, she could hear laughter inside and voices talking. Finally, she thought. Some form of life. She pushed in the door slowly and poked her head in.  
  
The familiar smell of her old room filled her nostrils. She could see two beds in the far corner, each with matching pale pink coverlets. Murals of faeries and sprites skipping in the wild grasses out in the woodsy area danced across the walls of the room. When she turned ten, she was no longer a child according to her parents, so she left the Nursery and moved to her new room. She needed to "grow up and take responsibilities."  
  
She sighed at that thought. I just want to go play and be free. She shook her head and averted her attention.  
  
She could see Merle and Celena sitting on the floor of the large room, each one with a cat-child in their arms. The balls of fluff were wriggling around uncontrollably as the two women tickled them unmercifully. Shrilling screams echoed within the walls as they hooted with laughter.   
  
Merle looked up and saw her. "Hey, Sellie," she said, smiling. "Want to help torture Sulae and Rani?"  
  
Sellie's lips curled into a smile. "Sure, Aunt Merle," she grinned. "Anything to help out." She dove into the pile of fur on the floor and grabbed one of them by the sides, not knowing which kitten it was. She had trouble telling the difference between them anyways, as did everyone else. That's why the two of them were referred to as "the Twins." Merle was probably the only one that really knew.  
  
"No… please! Stop! Sellie! I… can't…" the one she tickled gasped out between breaths. Celena laughed as the other one scrambled onto her lap to escape her wrath.   
  
"Mama, make Sellie stop! Rani is gonna explode!" she, obviously being Sulae, whined as she clutched onto Celena's torso.   
  
"Well, what would you rather play, then?" Merle asked. Sellie eased off of Rani, who quickly scrambled to her sister.   
  
"Ummm… can we go outside?" Rani replied, her toothy grin spreading across her face. "I wanna go play in the flowers."  
  
"Why not?" Celena said, hoisting the two kittens under each of her arms and left the Nursery room. She had removed her sword and laid it out of the young ones' reach.  
  
Merle sighed as she looked after her two daughters. She straightened the light sundress on her shoulders, then gathered up the toys around her.  
  
Sellie knelt down beside her. "Anything wrong, Aunt Merle?" she asked quietly.  
  
The cat-woman looked up at her, but there was a vacant look in her deep violet eyes. "Hmmm? Oh, nothing dear…" she trailed off, continuing with picking up the toys. Sellie knelt down beside her and helped.  
  
"Do you want Celena and I to take care of the Twins for you today?" she asked. "So you can have some time to yourself?"  
  
"Oh… no, that's alright," she replied, the same emptiness making her voice sound so hollow. "They should be going to bed early tonight. I can get my break then." She stopped and gazed at her niece. "So Lord Van has come back then?"  
  
Sellie nodded. "But only for a few days. I guess we have to go to Cassia, meaning me and Mom, too."  
  
"You'll like Cassia… don't worry," Merle said, smiling at the slight hint of annoyance in the girl's voice. "Very pretty. I went there a few times when I was in schooling at Kadmos."   
  
"I'm sure it's pretty… but is there anything to do?"  
  
"Well, it's built on a gorgeous lake and there's a huge waterfall as well. I'm sure you'll find *something* to entertain yourself for awhile."  
  
"Are you going to come with us? I mean, you *are* Daddy's aide and advisor. I think he would like it if you came."  
  
"No, it's alright, child… things need to be looked after in Fanelia… and Palos is too old to handle everything on his own," she placed all the stuffed animals and carved toys she had gathered into the large wooden storage bin at the foot of the nearest bed. She adjusted her dress and looked down at the girl.  
  
"Shall we go see what Celena and the Twins are up to?" she asked cheerfully, trying to change the subject.  
  
Sellie knew that she shouldn't press any harder into opening up her aunt. She knew how lonely she felt, even with the Twins around. She missed her husband. She could sense it how un-whole Merle was without him. But she couldn't stand to see her suffer so. Everyone tried so hard to help her move on with her life, especially her father. They grew up with one another. But Merle hid away from them all, keeping her emotions to herself.  
  
"Yes, Aunt Merle… lets."  
  
She gave the cat-woman a hug around her waist. Merle stroked her hair as she returned the embrace. They broke away and left the Nursery, heading out to where Celena and the Twins were sunbathing in the courtyard.  
  
* * *  
  
The combined amount of the steam from the hot water and the aroma of bath oils soothed Hitomi's mind, body, and spirit. This is exactly what she needed in order to relax… a hour of disappearing from the world. Her joints in her knees no longer screamed at her every time she tried to move them.   
  
It's a sign you're getting older, Hitomi… she told herself. But she refused to believe it. She was in the middle of her thirties… that's not *that* old.   
  
But she had seen quite a few silver hairs scattered throughout her short mane of sand-colored hair and a couple wrinkles upon her complexion.   
  
She sighed and lowered herself deeper into the bubbles so that only her shoulders were barely visible above the water line. She opened a weary eye and looked around at her surroundings. The bathing area was attached directly to their bedroom… one of the newer additions since Van had begun his rule of Fanelia. It was extremely large for Hitomi's likings… she was used to tiny closet-sized rooms with a bathtub and shower combination. But with the lit candles and sunlight peeking through the cracks of the window shutters gave the room a comforting mood that was tranquil. She could spend hours lying in the oversized basin.  
  
She fiddled with the pink stone that hung from her neck, thinking back on her events here on Gaea. She had known Van for almost twenty years now. How was her own family and friends faring without her back on Earth? She thought of them often, wondering if her younger brother now had children of his own. He would be in his late twenties. And her mother… was she alone? Did she sit in her rocking chair, staring out at the evening sky every night? Hitomi shook the thought from her head. Her mother was strong… she would never result to wasting away.  
  
Her neck was fairly stiff. She raised her hand out of the water and began to rub where it met the shoulder. All the tension from running and stress from working had finally reached its limit.   
  
Suddenly, there were more hands upon her neck, massaging her muscles in a constant rhythm. However, these hands were rough and callused compared to her smooth palms… a result of years of labor and sword fighting. She smiled, her lids still shut. She didn't have to open her eyes and see who it was… she knew simply by his touch.  
  
"What happened to later on tonight?" she asked softly, not removing her touch upon his fingers.   
  
"Oh, we're still on for that…" Van said, working the stress buildup. "But does that not mean that I'm not allowed to see you till then?"  
  
Hitomi smiled and fell deeper into his massage. The stress from the run melt away each time he tightened his grip on her skin. "Thank you…" she whispered.  
  
"My pleasure, love," he replied, kissing her on her shoulder. He stopped his massage, but his fingers still lingered upon her wet skin, touching ever so slightly. He traced her collarbone, up her neck, along her jaw line…   
  
Hitomi turned around and looked up at Van. He sat upon the stone edge of the tub, still clad in the clothes he traveled in. She folded her arms on the outer rim, her eyes studying him.  
  
Could Time have changed us so much in twenty years? He sure didn't look that much different than the first time she had met him. His wild black hair still fell into his eyes like it did when he was a teenager. He could have let it grow a little longer gradually. His eyes may have softened after awhile… they haven't seen war since the time of the Great War. But they still contained that fierce gaze that drove her mad.  
  
He had attained Folken's height, but as his brother held more of his mother's features, Van resembled more of his father. His build was still awkward and lanky like a teenager's, but he was accustomed to it.  
  
She must have been staring at him for awhile, for Van gave her a puzzled look. "What's on your mind, love?" he inquired.  
  
She shook her head, breaking out of her intent look. "Sorry," she apologized. "I was just thinking…" she trailed off. Van didn't try to go into deeper inspection.  
  
"So what did you do in Cassia?" she changed the subject. "You weren't in meetings the entire time, were you?"  
  
"Practically the entire time," Van snorted. "But I did manage to go out to the marketplace and get something for Sellie. I think she liked it… at least, I hope she did, but…"  
  
"You found her?!" Hitomi almost leapt up from her position, but recalled her current situation of taking a bath.   
  
"More like she wasn't being too careful about sneaking in," he chuckled.  
  
"That girl… I swear…" she sighed. "She's becoming more and more like *you* every single day."  
  
"Me?!" Van pretended to be innocent. "What ever are you talking about?"  
  
"Don't give me that!" she replied. "She doesn't obey orders like a certain someone else I know."   
  
She slouched back into the bathtub. "I just wish that we could tell her everything… so she would be more cautious…"  
  
Van exhaled and played with her wet tresses. "I know you do, love… I do also… it would make life much easier. But we promised ourselves and we promised Gaea that her being of Draconian and of ancient Atlantean heritage would have to be hidden from her until the time was right. What if she knew of her purpose for her entire life? Don't you think she would be a different person than who she is now? Each day, dreading it because it was one day closer to her destined time rather than living each day to the fullest?"  
  
"I know… you're right…" Hitomi said. "But I feel awful… we've been denying her of who she really is because of something that hasn't happened yet. We don't even know what is going to happen. There is so much that she doesn't know about herself… about us." A tear ran down her face. "We've been lying to our own daughter."  
  
Van couldn't look at her face, but he felt it inside of him that she was becoming so miserable. He leaned down and kissed her tear away. She sniffled a bit, then angled her head so that she could return the kiss back.  
  
He ran his thumb across her cheek, wiping away her tears that still fell. He gave her one last kiss then pulled away. "Everything will be alright, love…" he whispered as he stared deeply into her soft green eyes. "Everything will turn out alright."  
  
She let out a halfhearted laugh. "I hope you're right," she replied. A spontaneous thought rushed into her head, and she pushed him of the edge of the tub. Van was not able to catch his balance in time and landed hard against the stone floor. Hitomi covered her mouth, trying to muffle her laughter. "Will you get me a towel please?" she asked through her giggles.   
  
"Gods…" he muttered, but gave her a smirk. He grasped the thick white towels that hung across the room and laid it upon the tiled tub. She took it and was about to stand up, but looked at him with an uncomfortable look plastered on her face.  
  
"Could… you… turn around?" she asked meekly.   
  
"Hitomi…" he said, his eyes plainly expressing his hurt. "You've been my wife for thirteen years now. I've seen you before…"  
  
"I know," she replied quickly, her face blushing. "But… could you?"  
  
He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, smiling as he slowly turned around. He could hear her standing up in the water and wrapping the towel around her. He couldn't help and take a sneak peak.  
  
Her back was facing towards him, so she did not notice him glancing at her. She drew the towel around her, rubbing the excess water off of her body.   
  
Her short light-brown hair was barely damp; only the tips were wet as it clung to her neck. Her body was still as slim as when she returned to Gaea seven years after the Great War, but there were still those subtle feminine curves. He had never noticed her structure the first time he saw her… but then again, he was a real ass towards her anyways.   
  
Her fair skin was so smooth as he watched her muscles flex under her back. She was still quite athletic, but never gained the muscle mass that male bodies do. Her strength was understated.   
  
As she was drying off with the towel, something caught his attention. Upon the small of her back, he could clearly see the tattoo that Gaea carried upon her palm. The wild stag symbol that represented that she was a follower of the Goddess of Gaea. She decided to bare it upon herself soon after Sellie was born. Gaea suggested to hide it if she was that serious about having it, just in case something were to happen.  
  
He saw that she was beginning to turn around, so he stood upright once more, his eyes facing away from her once more.   
  
She stepped out of the tub, the towel tightly wrapped around her. She walked up next to him and placed her lips next to his ear.  
  
"Besides," she whispered. "There's always… tonight." She gave him a quick kiss on the neck, then disappeared into the closet.  
  
Van lingered for a moment, his eyes following her. How could he get so lucky to have someone like her, he wondered.  
  
Yes, there is tonight… he thought as he left the bathroom.  
  
* * *  
  
The amount of spectators grew with every passing moment. At first, it was only Van and Sellie in the courtyard, sparring back and forth. But soon, Allen, Celena, several members of the Crusade crew, and castle samurai watched the fight.  
  
Sellie had tied her hair back tighter, but strands had fallen out over time. She clutched onto her blade's handle firmly, her green eyes serious and studying her opponent with such determination. Her brow was damp with her intense work out. Her linen shirt clung heavily to her skin in the slightly humid weather.   
  
Van watched his daughter intently, monitoring each move. Although she was still young, she had a lot of potential to be an excellent swordsmen. She had received much experience from his generals over the years. Hitomi had picked the skill up, but was nowhere near as close to Sellie's performance.  
  
Their swords clashed together once more, the sheer force knocking Sellie off balance. She stumbled back, but quickly fell back into her position of attack. However, Van held up his gloved hand.   
  
"That's all for now, alright?" he said, panting. "The sun's almost down and we need to eat soon anyway."  
  
Sellie relaxed her stance, placing her sword back in the sheath. She tossed back her hair and tucked it behind her ears. "Sure, you're just afraid because I was winning."  
  
Van snorted. "You weren't even close to winning," he replied smoothly. "I still could go on for awhile. I just wasn't sure if *you* could."  
  
Sellie let out a ringing laugh. "I could go on forever! I took out General Tybel."  
  
Some of the soldiers let out whoops of laughter at her comment along with the leviship crew. Celena tried to muffle her giggles. Tybel's face just burned a bright shade of red as he tried to hide his embarrassment.  
  
Van looked over at him. "I can trust Tybel to take care of Fanelia's forces," he said, trying to help him out a bit. "But just beware when you go to war with my daughter."  
  
The General bowed down while some of his men still sniggered. He shot them a look plainly saying that "Just-wait-until-we-get-back-to-training." They hastily shut up.  
  
"Besides, it's time for dinner," Hitomi's voice broke the awkward silence in the courtyard. Van looked up to see his angel leaning against one of the tall pillars. She wore a simple off-white dress, the translucent skirt blowing softly in the wind. The pink pendant stone she bore captured the last rays of the dying sun as it set off in the distance.  
  
The castle samurai immediately fell to one knee, their right arms clutching their chests in respect to their Queen. She nodded their head to them, then returned her attention to the others.   
  
"Allen… Celena… Gaddes?" she continued. "I hope that you and the crew will join us?"  
  
"Of course," the Knight replied. "Thought that you would never ask."  
  
Van was already by Hitomi's side as the others approached the steps to the Great Hall. They instinctively entangled their fingers together… always touching. Allen followed the Royal couple, next was Sellie, pursued shortly Celena, Gaddes, and the Crusade crew.  
  
Her older brother did not see that his sister or his first-in-command also were holding each others hands. Celena sighed and leaned her head against Gaddes' shoulder.   
  
The Great Hall was decorated entirely in the colors of Fanelia. Long thick tapestries hung from the walls, each one bearing the Royal crest.  
  
The large circular table was set, one used when Van only wanted to eat with his own personal friends. He stood behind his own seat, waiting for the others to take their places. Hitomi still held on to his hand, standing to his right; Sellie was to his left. Once everyone chose their seats, Van made the gesture that they were able to sit.   
  
The servants immediately set the main courses at each seat and lifted the lids. Billowing steam elevated from the roasted poultry. The crew was very vocal about having good home cooked food for once, letting out positive feedback to the chefs in the kitchen. It was almost like an extended family gathered together after a long period of time.  
  
"So, Sellie," Gaddes said. "How long have you been using the sword? Last time I saw you, you were all about the crossbow."  
  
"I've been sparring with Dad since I was about six, I think," she replied. She liked Gaddes. He was like her goofy, out-of-place uncle that still acted like a teenager sometimes. "But I really got into it two years ago."  
  
"Do you still use the bow?"   
  
"Oh yeah," she said. "Target practice every other day."  
  
"Gods, Fanel," one of the crew members spoke up. "If you keep having kids like Sellie here, you'll be able to replace the entire army!"  
  
Hitomi dropped her fork on her plate, its shattering clamor making the entire table fall silent. Van shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked over at her. Allen and Celena both glared angrily at the man who brought up the subject.   
  
"Damn it, Merrick!" the Knight hissed furiously. "You speak only when…"  
  
"It's all right, Allen," Hitomi interrupted. "He didn't know about us."  
  
"I'm sorry, M'lady," Merrick said solemnly. "I… I wasn't aware that you weren't able to…"  
  
She shook her head. "Like I said, it's all right." She forced a smile to her face, but underneath the table, she reached for Van's hand. "Now, didn't you say earlier that Dryden and Millerna were also in Cassia? How are they doing?"  
  
She could see Allen's mouth moving as he answered her question, but the words made no connection to her ears. It was an inaudible noise in her mind. She tried to escape from the thoughts forming, but it was futile.  
  
Why did I stop being able to conceive?  
  
* * *  
  
"Lupin, get off," she said harshly at the wolf, who rested at the foot of her bed. Why should she even bother… he was just going to hop back on in the middle of the night anyway.  
  
Sellie yawned as she brushed her tangles out of her thick hair. It had been a long day. After dinner, they moved to one of the common rooms where Celena and some of the crew members were acting out some of the adventures they had had recently. She had held one of the kittens in her lap… she wasn't too sure of which one, while Merle had the other. Every now and then, she would look up at her mother to see how she was. She had a smile written on her face each time she made contact with her, but her eyes revealed differently. There was hurt and sadness. But… something else. Sellie could sense a connection between she and her mother, but more than that… something beyond being parent and child.   
  
A knock broke her thoughts. "Come in!" she shouted as she peeled back the comforter to her bed.   
  
Hitomi poked her head in. "Hey," she said. "I just wanted to see if you were still awake so that I could say good night."  
  
"That I am," Sellie replied as she slipped under the covers. "When are we going to Cassia?"  
  
"Day after tomorrow," Hitomi walked into the room and sat on the edge of her large bed. "And don't worry, we'll be back in a few days after that." She had halted Sellie from protesting anything she was going to say beforehand. "Besides, this will be a good experience for you anyway. You'll get to have some experience in how to deal with other countries."  
  
"I *have* dealt with other countries, Mother," she said in a huff. "I deal with Rouen."  
  
"Oh please… Asturia is practically a part of Fanelia as it is," Hitomi brushed her loose locks out of her eyes. "I mean, *real* experience."  
  
Sellie sighed. "I'm not going to have to rule this country anytime soon. Why do I need this?"  
  
"Because you never know when your father or I will be gone, sweetheart," Hitomi looked into her eyes. "You know that, right? At that point, you'll have to be ready to take over."  
  
Sellie played with her blankets uneasily. "Yeah, I know… I just… don't want to think of it now." She grabbed the music box that sat on her bedside table. "Did you see what Daddy got me?" She handed the box to her.  
  
"This is beautiful, Sellie," she replied as she softly touched the engraved wood. "What are you going to put in it?"  
  
"Haven't decided yet," she said as she took it back and returned it to its spot next to her. "But it will come to me soon."  
  
Hitomi fingered the pendant that hung from her neck. "Well, I want to give you this for starters." She lifted the necklace from around her own head and placed it into Sellie's hand firmly.  
  
"Mom… I can't take this. It's your good luck charm."  
  
"It has given me all the good luck I could possibly want… and now it's yours."  
  
Sellie touched the cool stone, staring deeply into the translucent pink mineral. "I think I will have better luck wearing it." She put it around her own neck, the pendant settling down upon her white nightgown. "Thank you."  
  
Hitomi smiled, leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night, honey," she said softly, then lifted from her seat.   
  
"Mom?"  
  
"Hmmm?" she turned around in her journey to the door.  
  
"Can you sing a song for me?" Sellie asked as she drifted back into the pillows, her green eyes showing signs of weariness. "You haven't sung recently."  
  
Hitomi smiled. "Of course." She placed herself back on the bed, closing her eyes in deep thought of song. She began to hum the melody, then started to gently sing the notes:  
  
You and me, together we'll be…  
  
Forever you'll be…  
  
We two can be good company…  
  
You and me…  
  
* * *  
  
As Van walked down the hallway, he could hear someone's voice singing what seemed to be a lullaby. Curious, since Merle had put the Twins down hours ago, he followed the sound to Sellie's room. He was about to enter, but hesitated, not sure if he should break the bond between mother and daughter at that instant. Instead, he leaned his head against the door, his ear pressed firmly upon the wood.  
  
Hitomi's voice was so beautiful when she sang. She hadn't done so in a long time, he had noticed. Did Sellie ask her to?  
  
He sighed and retraced the steps he just walked. If Hitomi was singing to her, that would probably mean that Sellie would be asleep when she finished.   
  
Allen and Celena had retreated to their guestrooms a little while ago. Some of the crew had also claimed stakes in the vacant rooms while the rest slept inside of the Crusade. Merle, too, had gone bed. No one else was around.  
  
He arrived back to his room, but did not feel tired at the moment. The spring night air called to him through one of the open windows, beckoning him to come outside. He agreed.  
  
A gentle breeze blew through his hair, playing with it as if it were fingers. It was unusually warm for that time of year… he wore only his breeches and a loose shirt.  
  
His thoughts drifted back to earlier to that night… when the Crusade member accidentally mentioned about…  
  
What had happened? They were able to have Sellie with no problems at all. Then, something occurred, as if a switch had been pulled that wouldn't allow Van Fanel to have anymore children.  
  
He wasn't truly complaining. He loved Sellie with all his heart. But he could tell in Hitomi's eyes that she wanted more.  
  
Who was he kidding… he wanted more too.  
  
"We are happy, aren't we, though?" a voice whispered into his ear. Soft hands wrapped themselves around his stomach.  
  
He smiled. "Of course we are," he replied. He turned around, holding her against him. "You were sneaking around in my head again, weren't you?"  
  
"Didn't have to. Your thoughts were pretty loud in themselves." She laid her head on his chest, just underneath his chin. "We are so blessed just to have Sellie… I don't think I could ask for anymore."  
  
"But don't you want to know why? Why no more after her?"  
  
"I'm a little curious… but I don't think I'm going to go searching for answers anytime soon. Just going to live in the present… in the now with you."  
  
They remained silent for what seemed like eternity, just being with one another. Finally, Hitomi broke the stillness. "That music box is beautiful."  
  
"I saw it and immediately thought of her…" he stopped.  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
"You never sing anymore… and when I heard your voice tonight… it just made me remember when you used to do it for me."  
  
Hitomi smiled into his chest. "Would you like me to sing for you?"  
  
There was a hesitation. "Yes."  
  
She slowly drew back, still touching him. She decided not to sing the same song that she had performed for Sellie. Instead, she chose a different one:  
  
Touch my skin… and tell me what you're thinking…  
  
Take my hand… and show me where we're going…  
  
Lie down next to me…  
  
Look into my eyes…  
  
And tell me… oh tell me what you're seeing…  
  
She sang the words so tenderly, but such emotion was put into each note. As she did so, she slid her hands up his shirt. Standing on the tiptoes of her shoeless feet, she lifted it over his head and tossed it back onto the balcony.   
  
So sit on top of the world… and tell me how you're feeling…  
  
What you feel is what I feel for you…  
  
Take my hand… and if I'm lying to you…  
  
I'll always be alone… if I'm lying to you…  
  
She took his hands and made him travel down herself. She guided him to lift her up into his arms. She still faced him, her slender arms wrapped around his neck. She tied her legs around his waist… her being in the exact same position as they were earlier that day. She took her arms away and held his own hands, as if they were dancing.  
  
See my eyes… they carry your reflection…  
  
Watch my lips… and hear the words I'm telling you…  
  
Give your trust to me…  
  
And look into my heart…  
  
And show me… show me what you're doing…  
  
She raised her eyes heavenwards and glanced back down at him, a wild look flaring in her iris. He grinned, recognizing that look. They hadn't gone out "sky-dancing" as she called it, for awhile because of the previous season. But now, the weather was warmer and perfect.  
  
He carried her over to the low railing bordering the edge of the balcony and leaned on it. With a single motion, he moved his arms so that she was pinned to his body and fell over the edge.  
  
The rush of falling filled him with adrenaline. There was enough room for him to release his enormous white wings and fly upwards. Hitomi clung tighter to him, letting her legs unravel about him and trail behind them along his.  
  
Feel the sun… on your face…  
  
And tell me what you're thinking…  
  
Catch the snow… on your tongue…  
  
And show me how it tastes…  
  
The clouds hung low as they left behind the Fanelian valley. He took strong beats against the wind and flew in the haze, its vapors changing shape each time his wings hit.  
  
Hitomi kissed him as they broke through the top of the clouds. Up there, the sky was so clear, allowing the two moons to reflect upon the surface.   
  
She began to pull away… telling him with her eyes that she wanted to be on her own. He gradually let her go… but still watched her with eyes like a hawk.  
  
She closed her eyes in concentration, then let her own wings appear from her back. Luckily, the dress was cut low enough that the force of the unfurling did not destroy the material. She beat up and down a few times and caught up with Van. She launched herself into his arms, causing the both of them to lose the rhythm of flying and fall back into the clouds below.  
  
She laughed gleefully and fell back into the beat, her hand still holding his. She closed the gap between them and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
This kind of freedom… no boundaries… just you and me…  
  
Take my hand… and if I'm lying to you…  
  
I'll always be alone… if I'm lying to you…  
  
Take your time… if I'm lying to you…  
  
I know you'll find that you believe me… you believe me…  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
I'm so sorry that this took so long to get out. I've been having a lot of personal problems as well as helping out some friends along the way. Plus, on top of that, I've started my last quarter of this year with taking a course in my major (computer arts). I really have to focus on my classes. I am going to continue with the story, just the installments will take time. Please be patient with me and WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS! Plus, sorry there's not a lot of action yet. And I stress the "yet."  
  
Chapter title comes from the excerpt found at the beginning. I'm reading this trilogy (not fanfic!) by Nora Roberts and I am really hooked. Eep.   
  
First song. "Good Company" from Oliver and Company. I loved this movie for the longest time and I don't know why. Its so cute.  
  
Second song. "Take My Hand" by Dido. I am in love with Dido. Her music is beautiful. My friend and I wanted to make a music video to this song. But probably never going to happen. 


	5. May it Be

Date. 04.07.2002  
Time. I'm not too sure. Its 1.59 am, but its daylight savings time, so in a second it will be 3 am? Uhhh… yeah…  
Music. Dashboard Confessionals at the moment, but whatever is playing on jigglykat radio. *squee*  
Chapter 5  
  
Copyright. I do not own any part of the Vision of Escaflowne. Just my characters.  
  
Author's Notes. Once again, sorry about taking so long. I am sooooo swamped with work. Photoshop projects, sculpting, and drawing. It takes it out of you. Plus, I've kinda been at a writer's block. The next chapter or so will be slow, but then the action will finally kick up a notch. But as for now, I'm going to play with my new Legolas action figure, which does include squeezable leg action!  
  
PS. For those of you who asked why Van and Hitomi can't have anymore kids, please keep tuning in. Hopefully, I'll be able to explain it in a future chapter, but for now, go along with it.  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid.  
  
Chapter 5. May it Be  
  
* * *  
  
Is everything set according to plan?  
  
Of course it is. Guests have been arriving throughout the past few days before the birthday celebration.   
  
Good, good… and what of our *special* guests?  
  
I had sent everyone from the meetings home in order to bring back their families for the party. It makes it appear that nothing has been prepared for them. They're going to be the last ones to arrive… the day of the party. Spys have been hired to follow them everywhere within the palace and if they venture beyond the castle walls.  
  
And on that night that we have planned, will your men be ready?  
  
Yes.  
  
It has to be done that night, so no mistakes.  
  
Understood.  
  
Good.  
  
You only need one of the Fanels, correct?  
  
Yes.  
  
What should I do with the other two?  
  
I don't know… think of something creative. Take them to that desert beyond the mountains. I think that is a nice place for them to rot away and die, don't you agree?  
  
Oh… ye-yes… of course. But what will you do with the one that you have?  
  
I believe that is none of your concern, my dear. All I want from you is your cooperation and if you succeed, Cassia will be a great empire once more.  
  
Yes, yes. Anything and everything is for Cassia.  
  
I must go. We have a lot of work ahead of us, don't we?  
  
Yes.   
  
And now I can finally get my revenge on those damned Fanels.   
  
* * *  
  
Hitomi bolted upright from her cot, her brow damp with sweat. Her breath escaped her lungs in short gasps of air, her body still recovering from the shock of awaking suddenly. She had decided to take a quick nap before they began their descent into the Cassian valley. They had already been flying for half a day.  
  
Was that a vision? Or just a waking dream? She had not really sensed anything, but something was still amiss. Visions rarely came to her anymore. It had been years since she had one that threw her into a different state of mind. Every now and then, she experienced déjà vu, but it was not the same.  
  
This time, her sixth sense was still very tingly with excitement. She needed to stand and walk around a bit to wear it off.  
  
She swung her legs out and let them dangle over the edge of the hard bed. This was the same room that she had retired to when she and Van had returned from Earth… on the Day of Revelation.   
  
In her "dream," there was something that was so familiar… something that Hitomi wanted to put her finger on and know what it was. It was deep in the vaults of her mind, cluttered in with the debris of useless trivia knowledge about Earth culture that was no longer important. But… whatever *this* was, it was striving to be important.  
  
Maybe I should talk with Van… she thought as she stood to her bare feet. The blood rushed from her head, making her dizzy and losing balance. She regained it back, slipped on her shoes, and left the quarters.  
  
Van was probably on the deck with Allen, discussing on Cassian politics. Good, she thought. That will take his gazing upon Celena and Gaddes away for a few moments. Hitomi had felt the growing love between the two. She was happy for them. Still, she knew that Allen would not be as accepting as she would of his sister's choice in men.  
  
Especially since they were sneaking around behind his back.  
  
Celena was the same age as she was. She was a woman. She should be free to make her own decisions.  
  
She slowly opened the metal door to the bridge and looked inside.  
  
The deck was not as occupied as she thought it would be. Allen stood at the front window, staring blankly out at the passing scenery. Celena was curled up on one of the padded benches as Van and Gaddes chatted softly. As soon her eyes laid upon him, his own gaze took her in. He broke the conversation and walked over.  
  
"Something wrong, love?" he asked, touching her side.  
  
"Oh no… it's probably nothing. I had just experienced… something, I think." His eyes widened with concern. "No, no… nothing vision-like or anything. Just a warning."  
  
"A warning? Like something is going to happen?"  
  
"I told you, I don't know," she grew subtly annoyed. "All it felt like was something familiar."  
  
"What's wrong?" Allen had walked over at the sound of their hushed voices.  
  
"Nothing's wrong," Hitomi replied quickly before Van could respond. "I just had an odd dream, that's all." She glanced over at Van as he was about to protest.   
  
it was *not* a vision… she said into his mind so that no one else could hear. i *know* what a vision feels like and that wasn't it…  
  
He gave a mental sigh in response. if you say so…  
  
"How much longer until we arrive to Cassia?" she asked Allen.  
  
"About a good twenty minutes or so," he replied. "I should make an announcement… the crew should be getting ready."  
  
"Where's Sellie?" Van asked as he took her over to the side, out of hearing range of the other occupants of the bridge.  
  
"Hiding somewhere," she replied. "Probably sulking that she couldn't bring Lupin along."  
  
Van snorted. "Just what we need in greeting Cassia: our daughter with her pet wolf. I don't think the Royal family would get a kick out of that."  
  
She gave a halfhearted smile at his remark… but looked rather distant.  
  
"Love? Is something wrong?"  
  
Hitomi hesitated before she took a deep breath. "Van," she said softly, almost too softly that he could barely hear him. "I've noticed that Sellie has been acting a little… strange. And this feeling that I just had… I don't know. I've been thinking for awhile… and I… I think it's time that we should tell her everything."  
  
He looked hard at her. "You think it's time for everything?" he said, lowering his voice as well.  
  
"Everything… your heritage, my heritage, Gaea, our role in the whole scheme of things… I think its better to do it a little earlier so that perhaps we can answer questions. When I found out about Gaea being my great-grandmother… I was in shock, I guess. I had trouble thinking… and I had to make quick decisions about the outcome of my future. I had such a small timeframe to work in. And I don't want that for her."  
  
Van was silent as he listened to her, his eyes focused only on her own. "Do you regret the decisions that you did make?" he asked quietly.  
  
She looked up at him and caught his stare. "Are you implying about my decision about remaining on Gaea?"  
  
He nodded grimly.  
  
She smiled. "Of course not," she replied as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "If I had to do it all over, I would have made the same choices… taking in the Power, staying on Gaea, staying with you…"  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Hitomi spotted Celena stirring as she awoke from her nap. Van did as well and leaned over to whisper in her ear.   
  
"All right," he said. "I think it's time, too. But not now in Cassia. When we get back to Fanelia, we'll sit her down and explain everything." He kissed her on the forehead. "Hopefully, she'll understand."  
  
"Hey…" Celena managed to say as she yawned. "Did I miss anything important?"  
  
Hitomi grinned. "You missed Gaddes pretending to act like your brother," she said.  
  
Celena looked over at the Second-in-Command and blushed.  
  
* * *  
  
Sellie fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. She had tried curling up and napping for awhile on the hard bench, but had no such luck. The Crusade was never meant to be a luxury leviship that escorted about royal members of countries. Actually, she would never want it to be used simply for royalty. She liked its rugged sensation… making her feel like she a part of the crew. It felt more like one of those pirate ships that the crew would tell stories of. Plus, on top of that, she had to change into her formal wear and that always made her feel uncomfortable.  
  
And, gods, how she hated to wear her formal clothing.  
  
She straightened out the dark emerald green skirt of her dress. The shoes she wore were too tight on her feet and the corset about her torso was suffocating.   
  
"Are we going to be at this party the entire time, or can I wear normal clothes at some point?" she had pleaded with her mother.  
  
"You can pack them if you want, but I'm pretty sure that there aren't going to be many times when you can go off on your own," Hitomi had replied. She sat on her bed, running a brush through Sellie's hair. "Do birds make nests in your hair, hon? I have never seen so many tangles!"  
  
Her hand played with the long, disentangled tresses as she thought about the night before. Life at the palace had been hectic. Servants were running to and fro, making sure that she, her mother and father had their proper attire suited perfectly. Never had she been scrubbed so hard during a bath.  
  
"Your father wants to make a good impression with the King of Cassia," Hitomi said.   
  
But something was throwing her senses off about going to Cassia. Both her father and Aunt Merle said that the country was beautiful… but still… there was something making her suspicious as they flew closer to the city.   
  
Sellie sighed and removed her shoes from her feet. She stood up and felt the cool metal floors under her bare feet. She'd rather be outside at the moment, but had to make do with where she was.   
  
"Twenty minutes until we arrive in Cassia. Crew, prepare for landing." The ship's intercom system cracked to life and made the announcement.  
  
Carrying her shoes, she walked to the head control room where everyone else was already located.  
  
Hitomi stood to the side along with Van, her eyes looking straight through the large front window. She was also clad in her formal wear, a long silver dress with hand-stitched green vines wrapping around her body. Her sleeves trailed to the floor, her fingers peeking through the fine material. Mom never wore any type of jewelry besides her grandmother's engagement ring, her simple wedding band, and her rose-colored pendant. But her neck was rather bare without her ever-present necklace. Sellie's fingers instinctively went to her own chest and touched the stone. Perhaps it was her own imagination, but she felt a slight shock as soon as she made contact.  
  
Van wore a simple white linen shirt and black slacks, his royal sword buckled securely about his waist. He, too, stared out the window as Hitomi did, but held her hand as well.  
  
"Sellie! You actually *look* like a princess!" Celena said, announcing her presence into the room.   
  
She crossed her arms across her chest. "Very funny," she replied, though she smiled. It was rare indeed that she wore something else besides her everyday breeches and linen shirts. Only on special occasions and formal affairs.  
  
Or when someone forced her.  
  
"Princess," Gaddes called for her, grinning. "Look out the window… you can see all of Cassia."  
  
Sellie inched her way closer to the tall man and pressed her hands upon the glass. She hadn't believed Merle when she had mentioned the city's beauty, but now she truly understood her.  
  
Fanelia and Cassia were both mountain kingdoms; however, Fanelia's palace was much more wider than height. The highest level was only three floors off the ground. Cassia's was just the opposite: its tallest tower reached up high into the heavens. Its white walls gleamed in the sunlight. Part of the castle was built into the cliffs that surrounded the country. The waterfall that was also pointed out was set a-ways from the city. Its rushing waters poured over the rocky edge at a height of at least twelve stories. It settled into the large lake that filled most of the valley and exited on the opposite side through the canyon that the Crusade.  
  
"Whoa…" escaped from her lips. It was so exquisite.   
  
" 'Whoa' is damn right," Gaddes added.  
  
"Gaddes!" Celena hissed. "Watch your language!"  
  
"You guys weren't kidding about this place," Hitomi murmured as she wrapped her matching cloak around her neck. "It's gorgeous."  
  
The Crusade crossed the vast lake and towards the landing pad set outside the city walls. Sellie could see some guards standing around the edge of the ring, carrying the Cassian Royal banners in welcoming their arrival.  
  
The large leviship landed with a soft thud. As soon as Allen cracked open the hatch, servants entered the ship to retrieve their belongings. As Van and Hitomi led the way down the ramp, their fingers once more entwined themselves around each other. Allen held his arm out to Sellie.  
  
"A princess can't be escorted without her knight, can she?" he said, smirking.   
  
She smiled back and held his gloved hand. "Of course, Sir Allen," she replied.  
  
Van was already talking to a tall man outside, probably fifteen years older than he. She studied him as she walked closer to him. He was a bit taller than her father, though his build was heavier. His dark hair was already streaked with silver, but was well-maintained. He was smiling at her mother, but his gray eyes showed something… different.   
  
She must have been staring hard at him because she received a nudge from Allen. She broke her contact and returned to reality.  
  
"Lord Tarn," Van continued, being a bit more formal than usual. "May I introduce my wife, Lady Hitomi Kanzaki, and my daughter, Lady Selmé Rynna."  
  
Tarn took Hitomi's hand and bowed slightly, kissing her on the top of her knuckles. "It is a honor, My Lady," he said. "I have heard so many stories about the Seer from the Mystic Moon, but I have never met her."  
  
"Well, now you have, My Lord," Hitomi smiled as she curtsied. "And I wanted to thank you for inviting us out here for your celebration as well."  
  
"My pleasure, My Lady," he replied. "I've enjoyed working with all the other countries recently that it only felt appropriate. Something twinkled in his eye as he turned to Sellie, who now had left Allen and stood by her mother's side. "And My Lady Selmé, I am honored to meet Fanelia's future ruler as well."  
  
He touched her hand to give her a kiss as well, but as soon as their skin made contact with one another, Sellie felt a mild shock run through her body. She did not pull her hand away, though she looked at him with wary eyes. No one happened to notice that the pendant stone around her neck glowed when they touched.  
  
"I would like to introduce my own son to you as well." He clapped his hands loudly. "Ladies, this is my son, Quidam."  
  
A young boy, perhaps slightly older than Sellie, ran up from behind Tarn, he bowing too soon that she couldn't see his face until he rose.   
  
He met her gaze with gray eyes that mirrored his father's, though his seemed to be more comfortable and familiar. His hair was lighter, falling into his eyes in a messy state. He grinned at her and she blushed.  
  
"Well, shall we get you settled in so that we can start the celebration?" Tarn returned his attention to Van and Hitomi. The servants that had entered the Crusade and exited with parcels in their arms. "You are the last to arrive."  
  
"Oh, Millerna and Dryden back already?" Van said as they walked to their rides.   
  
"Dryden didn't want to go back to Palas for a matter of days," Tarn replied. "Besides, he wanted to look into the barter and trading here. You remember how eager he was?"  
  
Dryden is still a trader at heart, Hitomi thought. He'll always be one before King.  
  
"…their boy, Rouen, and Quidam are comrades," he continued. Sellie stuck out her tongue in disgust, but Hitomi poked her to hush her up. "Aren't you, boy?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Quidam answered quietly.   
  
They arrived to the area where men held horses for the travelers. The men mounted their horses with no problem while Hitomi and Sellie were given steps up. Sellie wanted to protest that she knew how to get onto a horse, but her mother gave her a disapproving look.   
  
She swung her leg over the horse's back, but as she did so, her skirt was caught and revealed the sheath she wore around her calf. She straightened out her dress and looked around. Luckily, Van and Hitomi hadn't noticed, but she saw that Quidam had an odd expression on his face. Maybe he did.  
  
The troupe rode their steeds up to the castle in the setting sunlight. Sellie was still so tired from the traveling, but she wanted to please her parents by attending the festivities. Maybe it won't be so bad, she thought.  
  
* * *  
  
Everything, however, was going to fast. Sellie was only pointed in the direction of where her guest quarters were, then was shuffled off by handmaidens to touchup on her appearance. She wanted to scream each time they attempted applying make up to her face and squirmed away from their torture.   
  
And then they had to be introduced to the guests already occupying the grand ballroom.   
  
"May I introduce to His Majesty and His Majesty's associates… Lord Van Slanzar de Fanel, King of Fanelia…" the presenter announced to the guests.  
  
If I hear my full name mentioned one more time… she thought bitterly.  
  
"…Lady Hitomi Kanzaki de Fanel, Queen of Fanelia…" he continued.  
  
One. More. Time.  
  
"…and Lady Selmé Rynna de Fanel, Princess of Fanelia!"  
  
The crowd applauded as they entered. Hitomi immediately spotted Millerna's golden hair and rushed over to greet her friend. Sellie reluctantly held back, but Van dragged her towards them.  
  
"C'mon… its been awhile since you last saw Rouen, Sellie," he whispered. "Just do it for your mother, please?"  
  
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and obeyed his orders. As they approached the group, she could see Dryden engulfing Hitomi in a huge bear hug. Millerna was giggling as she saw the horrified look upon Hitomi's face. Van gave a kiss on her cheek in welcoming and shook Dryden's hand.  
  
"We were going to travel to Fanelia with Allen and Celena," Millerna was telling Hitomi. "But Dryden had to go shopping about and looking at the merchandise."  
  
"They had real Cassian hand carved chairs!" Dryden protested. "You don't find those anywhere else! Only here! I wanted to find out what kind of profit they make on them." He looked down at Sellie and gave her a firm handshake as well. "And how's the miss doing? You've grown, my dear! Last time I saw you, you were this big." He held his hand off the floor a couple of centimeters.  
  
Sellie couldn't help but laugh. Dryden had that cocky personality that always could make a person smile. Unfortunately, his charm did not rub off onto his son.  
  
"You know, Rouen's been asking about you, Sellie," he continued. "Ever since we got here, he kept asking when you were coming."  
  
Probably to pull my hair some more. She put on a false face. "Really?"  
  
"Oh yeah," he continued as her parents talked with Millerna. "He's been keeping his mind occupied during the meetings by becoming friends with Tarn's son, Quidam. The three of you should get along together quite well."  
  
Great.   
  
A large gong was struck, signaling that it was time to sit for the feast. As she walked over with her parents, Sellie saw Quidam take his seat next to Tarn at the head of the U-shaped table. A servant guided her over to her seat, which was rather close to him. They settled down, but the conversational chatter continued. She wanted to lean onto the table and sleep.   
  
And then she saw him. His brown hair. The same eyes as his mother. That goofy grin that he always wore on his face. His looks weren't *that* bad. He could pull off attractive. But it was *him*.  
  
Rouen gave Sellie a quick wink as he sat down next to Dryden, three spots down from where she sat. She sighed and waited for the food to be served.  
  
"Ugh," she groaned, but immediately felt an elbow to the ribs. Maybe she should just keep her mouth shut so that she wouldn't wake up in the morning with bruises about her sides.  
  
Many servants wheeled in carts bearing platters of food with giant lids upon them. Hers was set in front, and she patiently waited for the others to be served as well. Tradition not just in Fanelia, she noted.   
  
Tarn clapped his hands and the servants lifted the lids simultaneously. Sellie did not recognize the type of meat on the plate. She cautiously took a bite, tasting the tender substance and decided that she liked it.  
  
Casual talk continued to fill the Banquet Hall for awhile as the guests celebrated the King's birthday. Occasionally, Sellie would be asked a question by one of the noblewomen her future as Fanelia's ruler. She tried her best to answer them honestly, but they would always chuckle at whatever she would say. Finally, Tarn's clapping of his hands ceased the questioning.  
  
He stood proudly at his place, his smile spreading across his face while his eyes hid something else. The crowd settled into silence as he began his speech.  
  
"I wanted to thank you all for traveling away from your homes. It does me great honor to work with such fine rulers as those seated at this table with me. I believe that this new 'Act of Alliance' between our countries will help us out in our future when we need aide of one another. Hopefully, we will no longer need an Alliance and keep the peace among ourselves."  
  
"Hear, hear!" someone shouted from the back. Many people clapped their hands in approval. Tarn raised his glass to calm everyone back down again.  
  
"Furthermore," he continued. "I believe that we have to unite together on some sort of *different* level. My son, Quidam, is almost 15 years old, the youngest age that our country allows a heir to be before taking the throne. Since my wife died and can no longer bear me children, Quidam is the only royal heir of Cassia. I am finding essential that he should have his future Queen chosen."  
  
Tarn turned his attention to Van, to Hitomi, but most directly, to Sellie. "Lord Fanel," he smiled once more. "Would you do the honor of me of letting my son marry your daughter?"  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
04.12.2002---SORRY! SORRY it took so long but I had a major photoshop project due today at 12 and I've been working on it for awhile. Plus, I wanted to hold off because today… at this moment… it is Van's 21st birthday. 12th White is April 12th. YAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY VAN! WE LOVE YOU!!! And I'm also sorry that this chapter sucks big time. I couldn't think while I did it. And it's not that important but it is to the story so there wasn't much to write about. Oh well. I just wanted to update on Van's birthday anyway.  
  
Chapter title comes from Enya's "May it Be" from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. 


	6. With or Without You

Date. 04.13.2002  
Time. 2.00 pm exactly  
Music. jigglykat radio -- at the moment, its Boston.  
Chapter 6  
  
Copyright. Alas, none of us own the Vision of Escaflowne so lets just end our suffering.  
  
Author's Notes. I'm currently trying to do my computer homework, which is to watch… cartoons. That's right. I have to watch cartoons for homework. Unfortunately, it can't be anime so I'm getting my Invader Zim on. But the sound isn't working on it right now, so while I'm waiting for that to get fixed, I'm working on Chapter 6.  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid.  
  
Chapter 6. With or Without You  
  
* * *  
  
Her voice made no sound, though the words she wanted to scream began to build up in her throat. Flashes of her life had leapt in front of her eyes as if she was dying. And in a way, she was. Signing her existence away at such an early age was uncalled for.   
  
Sellie's eyes shifted to Quidam, whose head hung low so that he could not see her gaze. She could feel the tears begin to water in her own eyes, but she tried to force them back. She looked to her parents who sat next to her. Her father's face was completely drained of all color while her mother held her hand to her mouth.   
  
She couldn't be there right at that moment. She shoved back her chair and bolted out of the room, tears streaming down her face.   
  
Why was she crying? She did not hate Quidam. Nor did she know him. Thirteen years old was too young to be married. And to be forced into this. Did her parents even consider about what she wanted? Van had put off being married because he loved her mother. They believed in love. She didn't wanted to be forced into it.  
  
She could hear voices crying her name, but she did not stop. Her stomach churned as she raced down the hallway and into the guest living quarters. She barged through the door and shut it quickly with her back. She stayed there for a moment, she leaning upon it, and sobbing uncontrollably. She kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto her bed, hiding her face into the pillows and cried.  
  
It could have been eternity, or it could have been a few moments later, but she could hear a muffled knocking on her door. She did not move as she could hear it open slowly and someone walk into the room. Nor did she move when that person's hands began to rub her back gently.  
  
"Sweetie?" she could hear her mother's soft voice coaxing her. "Can you please come out of there?"  
  
Sellie shook her head.  
  
"Please?" This time, her voice sounded like it was about to break.  
  
She slowly removed one of the pillows and tossed it onto the floor. She lifted herself up, her eyes already puffy. Hitomi sighed as she drew Sellie into her arms. As the young girl sobbed into her shoulder, all she wanted to do was to hold her and cry along with her.  
  
"Why?" was all the girl could say. "Why did you do this to me? You of all people."  
  
"We didn't do anything, sweetheart," Hitomi whispered, stroking her long, black, wavy hair. "This was as much as a surprise to us as it was to you."  
  
"But why? Why would he do something like this so quick?"  
  
"I don't know… but your father is talking to him right now," she hugged her tighter. "He demanded to see Tarn in private a minute after you left. Hopefully, this will be cleared up soon."  
  
Hitomi broke the embrace and took a handkerchief out of her sleeve. She wiped away her wet cheeks as Sellie just sat still, sniffling every now and then.  
  
"I know its not that late, but why don't you stay in your room for tonight," Hitomi said after a moment of silence. "You look really tired. I'll bring by some food later on."  
  
"I'm not hungry," she muttered.   
  
"Well, if you do, have someone bring you something." She brushed some of her wild locks out of her eyes. "I know what its like… to have your heart broken like that." She kissed her on the forehead. "Get some sleep?"  
  
Sellie nodded. "Thank you, Mom," she whispered, her head still hanging.  
  
Hitomi smiled at her and clicked the door shut.  
  
* * *  
  
The rage of a dragon roared inside of him, clawing to let him out and tear the man to tiny pieces. He had managed to take him into his council room without much of a scene out in the Banquet Hall, but it kept on building inside. He wanted to let it all loose.  
  
But over the years and being with Hitomi made Van able to control his anger and he held everything back.   
  
Tarn sat in his head chair, his hands crossed on his stomach calmly. He stared at the younger King with a cool exterior, mouth faintly curved upward in a smile. Van had yet to say anything since they arrived to this meeting and several minutes had passed by in silence.  
  
"Is there a problem, Lord Van?" Tarn asked innocently.   
  
"Don't give me that bullshit, Tarn," Van snapped. "You had no right."  
  
"What? That I propose the suggestion of a union between our two countries?"  
  
"We've already settled that union. It's called being allies." He stopped pacing the floor and stared into the older man's eyes. "But bringing in my daughter like this. It was completely uncalled for."  
  
"Did you see the way your daughter interacted with my son tonight, Lord Van?" Tarn rose to his feet. "There was the definite awkwardness of love at first sight between the two. From the stories that you have told me about Princess Selmé, she doesn't seem to be one that shies away so easily. I caught her blushing once or twice and…"  
  
"Just stop!" Van shouted. No, he couldn't listen to this. Sellie was nowhere near falling in love and marrying off to another noble. She was only 13 years old, for gods sake.  
  
"The fact of the matter is, Lord Van," Tarn continued. "That there aren't too many available princesses in our area. Especially allied ones. The time is coming soon for you to find a proper suitor for your daughter to ensure the safety of Fanelia. My Queen is dead. Quidam is the only one that Cassia depends on. Our borders touch each other. In their marriage, Fanelia and Cassia could become one larger country and become more prosperous. Isn't that what you want? To make Fanelia bigger and better?"  
  
"No," Van said firmly, his fury on the edge of exploding. "I want what is the best for Sellie. I have never considered and will never put her into a situation where she is forced to love someone. My parents married for love, and so did Hitomi and I. Fanelia will be prosperous in her own way."  
  
Tarn walked across the room and stopped next to Van. He placed his large hand on the younger man's shoulder and squeezed tightly.   
  
"Just think about, Lord Van," he said with a wicked look in his eye. "I'm offering you a better life for your daughter and country than what you have to give her. You want what is best for Selmé. Consider it." With that, he left Van alone in the council room.   
  
Van fumed at the thought and those last words. He clenched his right hand into a fist and slammed it against the table as he cursed.  
  
* * *  
  
What is the news of our current situation?  
  
Continue the plan. It will proceed tonight. The Fanels are too stressed to retire to their rooms early so they will be up. I have people watching them at all times.  
  
Don't forget about that Mystic Moon bitch. She has clairvoyant powers. If she gets any sense of something following her, she can detect them with her mind.  
  
You worry too much. No, these are undetectable spies that I have had working for me for years. Not even they can find their own.  
  
Just beware: she can see the unseen.  
  
I am aware.  
  
Good.   
  
When will you come?  
  
I want them isolated. I have no quarrel with those other guests of yours.  
  
They most likely want to be by themselves. To talk.  
  
What did you do tonight to aggravate them so?  
  
Let's just say its one of my little secrets.  
  
We each may have our own. But tonight is the night where all secrets come unraveled.  
  
* * *  
  
There was no way that Sellie could stay cooped up in her room at such an early hour. The sun had set only a little while ago and she was too wide awake to go to sleep. There was nothing in her quarters to occupy her mind from boredom.  
  
Besides, the forest outside was just calling to her.  
  
She stripped out of her formal dress and quickly put on a linen shirt and breeches that she snuck into her bag. She kept the dagger strapped to her leg and put her hair up in a messy ponytail. Maybe the fresh air will ease my mind and calm me down, she thought.  
  
She poked her out the hallway to see if anyone was lingering. Luckily, it was empty. She crept down the hall and wandered outside and into the courtyard. She could see some of the other guests walking about the gardens but no one had noticed her. She remained in the shadows and continued her journey.  
  
The gates had been open ever since they had arrived that afternoon. The guards must have left it ajar so that it would be easier for people to leave the castle rather than opening it for every single party-goer.  
  
Some of the merchants were bringing gifts for their King, leaving them at a designated point, and returning to the city outside of the gates. Sellie managed to sneak onto a cart and hide under the tarp until she reached the outskirts. From there, she quickly ran into the forest.  
  
The moonlight cast a silvery glow upon everything, making it easier for her to see. The cool air felt so good on her flushed skin. She walked deeper into the trees, her destination the waterfall. She didn't know why. Something was drawing her towards the waterfall… as if she were destined to go there.  
  
A mournful chirping threw her off track, though. Her ears perked up and followed the sound to a large bent-over tree where she could see something fluttering on the ground. She knelt down and tried to calm the fledgling's fidgeting. But something else caught her eye as well.  
  
She drew the dagger from her leg and pivoted, holding the grip tightly. "Who's there?!" she cried.  
  
"It's just me, Princess Selmé," a hushed voice from the brush called. Quidam emerged from his hiding place, his hands up in peace. Sellie lowered her weapon, but did not return it to its sheath.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked cautiously, her eyes still narrowed.  
  
"I… I saw you leave the castle… alone," he said. "I just wanted to make sure that you were alright."  
  
"I'm fine," she replied bluntly, then went back to the bird. She sensed Quidam approaching her and peeking over her shoulder.  
  
"What's wrong with it?" he asked.  
  
"It fell out of its nest from up there," she pointed to one of the lower limbs. "Can you get me some of those big leaves over there please?"  
  
As he retrieved the foliage that she asked for, she rubbed her hands harshly upon the ground. "What are you doing?" Quidam asked as he handed the leaves over to her.  
  
"Aren't you full of questions tonight?" she muttered. "I'm trying to take away my scent so that when I put the baby back in the nest, it won't smell like me and its mother will accept it again." She carefully took in the fledgling and cupped it into one of the leaves. "Can you give me a boost up, please?"  
  
He nodded and held out his hands. She stepped into them and he lifted her slowly. She gently put the bird back in with its siblings and Quidam lowered her to the ground.  
  
"You must know a lot about nature," he commented. "I wish I did."  
  
"Have you never gone out and played in the woods like this?" Sellie asked as she brushed off her pants.  
  
He shook his head. "I haven't been out that far beyond the walls. Father wouldn't let me go. I had to focus on being Cassia's future King. I had to follow him to all his meetings and stuff."   
  
"He never showed you what else your country was? Just the castle?"  
  
He nodded in response. "That's all that a kingdom is."  
  
"No, it's not. I leave the boundaries of the Fanelian estate to where I can go in half-a-day's travel on foot. I want to know every rock, tree, and creature as well."  
  
He hesitated before responding. "I never heard of a marriage proposal before tonight. I'm sorry."  
  
Sellie leaned herself on the tree, relieved that someone brought up the current situation. "So what do you think?" she asked softly  
  
He shrugged his shoulders. "You seem to be really nice and all. I'm sure you'll make a great Queen. Maybe in a couple years…"  
  
"Wait… you *actually* want to go through with this?" she interrupted.   
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because it's unreasonable! I don't want to leave home. And I'm too young also." She could feel her anger building up again.   
  
"But don't you want to please your father and make him proud?"  
  
Sellie remained silent. She actually never had heard what Van had felt about this situation. What if he wanted a union between the two countries? He had seemed angry at first, but maybe after speaking with King Tarn, he could have been convinced that this was the right thing to do.  
  
What if he did want this?  
  
She shook her head of the thought. "Look, Quidam… I'm not…"  
  
Another loud crashing sound through the bushes and another figure emerged into the clearing.   
  
Oh gods, she thought. Not him too.  
  
"What's going on, Sellie?" he asked as he stood next to Quidam. "Why did you go out running during dinner and then out here?"  
  
She said nothing and flashed her angry green eyes at him.  
  
Rouen's grinning face fell into a concerned look as his eyes fell upon her glare. "What's wrong?"  
  
"None of your business," she said coldly. "I was just leaving."  
  
"Alright, you know what? Just *stop* for a moment with this 'high and mighty' crap," he said gruffly. "What's up with you lately? Why do you hate me?"  
  
She hesitated for a moment. "I don't hate you, Rouen," she replied softly. "I don't know what I think right now."  
  
"It's not just tonight, Sellie," he said. "It's been awhile now. We used to be best friends and now you're all distant. We never talk anymore. Why?"  
  
She closed her eyes and listened to his words. What was he talking about… me changing? He's the one that has changed. It was true; they had been best friends. When Dryden and Millerna would come to Fanelia, the two children were inseparable.   
  
But now, Rouen stopped visiting because he had other obligations back in Palas. It had been awhile since they had last seen each other before this night.  
  
She looked up at him and then, at Quidam, her eyes welling up with tears. "I can't think right now," she said, her voice growing stronger. "Please, just… just leave me alone right now!"  
  
Rouen gave her a blank stare, then looked over at the other boy. "C'mon, Quidam," he said harshly. "Let's go back and leave Princess here alone." He returned the way he had arrived.  
Quidam looked at her with a soulful stare, then followed.  
  
She ran into the forest, tears streaming down her face. Why… why am I crying over Rouen? Are we still friends? Can I still be his friend? Or is it over?  
  
* * *  
  
Van slouched against the wall, his head hanging low as his eyes remained closed tightly. Though he wasn't sleeping, his mind flashed memories in his eyelids.  
  
*** He had been working hard in his study all night, hunched over endless parchments of alliances between other countries, acts that needed editing, and letters of complaint. Palos had offered to help him in his state of illness, but Van sent him to his quarters without second thought.  
  
"You need your sleep, Palos," he had told the elderly man. "I need you better later on so you can attend my meetings for me."  
  
"Oh, I can hardly wait, Your Highness," he said sarcastically as he let out a whooping cough. But he had obeyed his orders and left him alone to work.  
  
It must have been close to midnight as he was reading some documents when he heard his door creak open. He had expected to see either Hitomi or Palos, telling him to go to bed and do it in the morning, but instead, he saw Sellie.  
  
Her nightie was too big for her 3-year-old toddler body. The sleeves kept falling beyond her hands as she rubbed her eyes.  
  
"What are you still doing up?" he asked softly, sitting upright in his huge chair.  
  
"I had a nightmare," she replied, a trace of fear in her voice. "I couldn't find Mommy."  
  
He set down the paper and held his arms open. She eagerly left her position in the doorway and jumped into his lap. Van let out a "oof", but let the girl settle into him. She placed her head over his heart and stuck her thumb into her mouth. He eased back into his chair and placed his feet back on top of the papers.  
  
Van supported her with one arm and stroked her hair. "So what was it this time… dragon? Swamp monster?"  
  
"No… it was different this time… I was dreaming… dreaming that I was flying…"   
  
"Flying?" Van asked slowly. At this point, he and Hitomi agreed that Sellie should not go on anymore "sky" adventures, for fear that she may remember the flights. "What type of flying? Inside a leviship like the Crusade?"  
  
"No… it was flying with wings…" Sellie's voice began to fade as the rhythm of Van's heart beat made her slide into slumber's arms. "You and Mommy were there… you were flying too. But I… I started to fall… I couldn't fly anymore… I kept falling… and falling…"   
  
The child had fallen asleep in mid-sentence. Van remained still as she shifted to make herself more comfortable, then kissed the top of her head.   
  
Sellie… he thought. I'll always be there to catch you if you fall…  
  
He sighed and gradually lifted himself out of the chair and carried her back to her room. He lowered into the soft bed and placed the covers over her.  
  
"Daddy?" her sleepy voice broke the silence.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Stay with me tonight…" she faded away once more.  
  
He smiled, then pulled up a large armchair and sat down in it, watching over his daughter.  
  
Never let you fall… ***  
  
Now, he felt like he was the one that was falling and that there was no one there to reach out for him. How would Sellie see him now? He had said no to the alleged proposal, but would he still be the same in his daughter's eyes? He felt so guilty for putting her through such an ordeal.  
  
Smooth hands ran themselves up his arms. He didn't have to lift his head; he knew those hands.  
  
"Where is she?" he asked calmly without looking up.  
  
"Her room," Hitomi replied as she sat beside him, nuzzling into him. "I told her to stay in tonight."  
  
"Good."  
  
There was a brief pause. "Did you talk with Lord Tarn?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I told him that I was never interested in linking our countries together by marriage, but he wants to ensure the safety of his own land." He rubbed his eyes. "I never wanted anything like this."  
  
"None of us do, Van."   
  
The silence filled the room once more, but for a longer amount of time. Outside, he could hear the crickets chirping gleefully. Almost like… laughter. They were laughing at him.  
  
"It got me thinking though," he said finally.   
  
Hitomi straightened. "Thinking of…" she said slowly.  
  
"Sellie is 13 years… going on 14 years in a few colors," he murmured. "She is nowhere near ready to rule a kingdom if something happened to you or I… we haven't forced her to take proper etiquette lessons like normal princesses… gods, she doesn't even *act* like a normal princess…"  
  
"But what is 'normal', Van?" she interrupted. "Do you want your daughter to act like those other girls? I didn't act like them… thank God… she should be her own person."  
  
"I don't know what I'm trying to get at right now," Van replied. "I'm trying to think whether or not Sellie *should* be engaged to Quidam or some other royal."  
  
Hitomi was silent. "You're actually considering this?" she asked cautiously.   
  
"Yes… and no," he hit his head against his knee. "I don't know… I'm so tired, Hitomi. I can't think straight." He paused. "I just… don't want her to grow up and take over. That means that we won't be there for her anymore. I want to see her… all grown up and ruling Fanelia."  
  
She took his hands and rubbed them within hers. "There are other ways besides arranged marriages," she brought up his chin so that she stared directly into his eyes. "Sellie is strong… like her father. And her father was able to rule Fanelia at the age of 15 by himself for years." she spoke so softly. "I have faith in her. I believe that she can handle this… along with her Advisors and trusted allies among her. Besides… she might find someone like you found me."  
  
He let out a half-hearted laugh. "Gods, I hope so," he said. "How do you make things sound like they will come out for the best?"  
  
"One of my gifts from living on Earth," she said smiling.  
  
"If all the people from the Mystic Moon were as manipulating as you were…" Van was immediately cut off by a playful slap.   
  
"I've been thinking also of some way that Sellie could rule Fanelia, but we could still watch her," Hitomi continued. "But I'll tell you later… I haven't gotten it all thought out yet."  
  
"Alright," he stood up and stretched. "Gods, what an awful night. Where is everyone else?"  
  
"Allen, Millerna, and Dryden went off into one of the parlors with some of the other guests. And Celena and Gaddes went off arm-in-arm into the Crusade… alone." She raised her eyebrow on the last word.  
  
Van looked surprised. "Really?" he said thoughtfully. "And Allen doesn't know? He's going to be so pissed."  
  
"He'll find out when its his time," Hitomi said. "But for now, let them be."  
  
"Alright, I'm going to go straighten things out with Sellie… I'm assuming that she isn't sleeping so early." He gave Hitomi a kiss on her forehead. "I guess we're going to have to have those long talks when we get back."  
  
"Fun."  
  
* * *  
  
In the combination of running and crying at the same time, Sellie quickly ran out of breath. Her heart pounded within her chest as she wiped away her wet tears. Never had she cried so much in one day… not even that, one night.   
  
And why was it? Why was she so hurt when Tarn had announced to the group that she and Quidam were to be wed? There was the feeling of being used as an object. Or maybe she felt that she didn't belong to Quidam at all. Perhaps that she did come to the realization that Rouen was not the one that had changed… she had. He had remained the same old person while Sellie had distanced their friendship by maturing. Or was it something more than that? Could…  
  
Could it be because she felt something more for Rouen?   
  
At last she reached the waterfall. She hadn't ran in that direction on purpose… she just ended up arriving at her destination by chance. The moonlight made the spilling water glow in the darkness, giving it an ethereal feel that oddly comforted her.  
  
She sat against the rock and placed her head between her knees, trying to calm her body down. The cool air was already cooling her skin, but still her blood pumped through her veins like adrenaline.   
  
I have to talk to Rouen at some point, I guess… she thought. But what am I going to do?  
  
* Why does thee heart ache, little one? *  
  
Sellie ceased her sobs and looked around in the bushes, eyeing for someone creeping upon her. "Who's there?" she shouted into the darkness.  
  
* No need to shout, child. I can hear thee quite fine. * Strangely, the voice seemed to be coming directly to her, as if it were inside of her.   
  
What sort of magic is this… she thought.  
  
* Not magic. This is the way I speak with thee. Thee are special, though. I have been waiting for thee for many years now. *  
  
"What do you mean, 'many years now' ?" she asked still into the emptiness. This voice was peculiar. Not only did she not hear it vocally, but something of the way it spoke. It almost felt… inhuman.  
  
* Thee may have not been aware of thee knowledge of me… but we have met before this occasion. *  
  
"I'm sure I would remember something like this if some weird person was talking to me inside my head," she commented on.  
  
The voice let out a rough laugh. * Thee thinks I am human? * It stopped chortling as Sellie felt confused. * Forgive me, dear child. Thee did not know. Come inside. We must speak urgently. And please, do not be startled by me. I am aware that thee has never seen one of my kind before. I promise thee that I would never hurt a Child of Gaea. *  
  
If Sellie was not bewildered at this point in time, she most certainly reached her limit.  
  
"What do you mean? Who are you? What's so important that involves me? WHAT are you? What's going…"   
  
* Please, child. Do not ask so many questions at once, my mind cannot handle everything that you ask! I will try and explain some things to thee, but thee must come inside. *  
  
"How can I come inside? It's solid rock!" To prove so, she raised her hand to the giant wall to rap her knuckles against it. But as soon as her skin made contact with the stone, it began to shimmer. She drew her hand back quickly.  
  
* To a normal human, one lacks the Sight that would enable creatures like us to see past this illusion of a gap. This would look, feel, and even smell like rock to a human, but thee can open the illusion and enter. *  
  
She brought her hand up to the wall again and touched the surface. Once more, it rippled at her touch.   
  
"How do I know that you won't do anything to me?" she said.   
  
* Thee feels it in thee heart that thee can trust me. *  
  
She sighed. Whoever it was, the voice was right. Somehow, this voice did seem familiar, though she could not recognize it. She touched the surface once more, hesitated, and walked through the wall.  
  
The sensation of passing through this magical cloak sent a chill up her spine. She now was in a giant dark room, the sounds of the falling water still echoing within the chamber. She did not expect to see what she did see in the shadows. She had thought that it would have been some sort of beast-creature shaman.  
  
Instead, she looked into the golden eyes of a massive red dragon.  
  
To be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
Eep! Don't kill poor kat-chan. This chapter was going to be one huuuuuuuge one, but I decided to cut it into two. I had a REALLY nice couple of days recently and I would like to enjoy them!! First of all, I would like to say that I won an auction and am getting in the mail… Hitomi's Tarot cards! I am sooooo happy. And then, I aced my midterms and one of my art projects that I've been working on for forever (and the pure reason why I haven't been writing) is now on display in one of the buildings. And I don't really have a lot of homework this weekend either (since being midterms) so all I need to do is finish my character in Illustrator and then I'm set for awhile. SIGH.   
  
BTW, I just realized that I have already used the name Rouen in one of the previous chapters as the name as a servant. Please ignore. Its getting harder and harder to write, but I still do it for those of you who follow the story!!  
  
Chapter title comes from U2's song "With or Without You"  
  
04.26.2002 UPDATE. something happened and a whole part of the chapter was left out. so i hopefully fixed it. ^^ 


	7. Let Me Fall

Date. 04.29.2002  
Time. 7.35 pm  
Music. Umm… right now, its "My Sweet Lord" by lovely George Harrison  
Chapter 7  
  
Copyright. I do not own any of The Vision of Escaflowne or its characters because I just don't.  
  
Author's Notes. WEEEEEEOOOO. Well, after a huge amount of midterm projects due and tests, my weekend was incredibly empty. My professors gave me no homework except to color in a character that I had designed for my computer art class. But that was using Illustrator and I found it to be a lot of fun. Then I got this really kick ass demo how to make realistic skin tones in Photoshop. Maybe I can make my drawings look pretty now. Hmmm… this chapter is going to be fairly difficult to write. As are all the ones after this so please be patient with me. I'm in art school and I have so much work to do.   
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 7. Let Me Fall  
  
* * *  
  
Sellie gasped loudly as she recognized the great creature before her. She had stopped as soon as she passed through the magical wall and froze. Although red flying-type dragons have disappeared from the face of Gaea, she could remember the legends of these beings.   
  
And what she could remember from her studies, she knew that these types were *not* supposed to be friendly.  
  
She slowly backed away, heading back towards the entrance that she had just walked through. She had expected the strange, cooling experience that she had felt the moment her body moved through the rock, but instead, she bumped into solid stone. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat.  
  
The dragon had made no move to attack her. Actually, he (she assumed it was a male dragon, for the voice in her head was quite masculine) was settled comfortably on the worn-smooth floor of the cavern. For being under a waterfall, it was extremely dry in the room, though Sellie could still hear the pounding water outside.   
  
She drew her blade from her leg and held it up in front of her. It would not do much damage against him, but at least she had protection.  
  
* I told thee before, Child. Thee have no cause to be frightened of me. I will never hurt thee * the voice entered her mind again. She returned her attention to the dragon.  
  
* Thee can sense it in thee heart that what I say is true. I am to help thee on this part of thee journey. * The dragon extended one of his enormous leathery wings, barely having enough room to do so. * Please forgive me, Child. I have not stretched in many years. *  
  
"Why?" Sellie found herself asking loudly. Somehow, the dragon was right; she did feel oddly calm being close here.   
  
* I have been sleeping in this location ever since the Seventh Age as humans called it. * He yawned loudly, his roar echoing within the walls. Sellie had to hold her ears until he finished.  
  
"The Seventh Age? That was over five thousand years ago!" she exclaimed as she did the math.   
  
* It has been too long since I have last seen the sun * he said wistfully. * But some things are more important. *   
  
"Why have you been sleeping here?" Sellie asked as she began to walk around the dragon. "I mean, you're really big… don't you have some say in it or something?"  
  
* I was not forced to remain in this cave. It was my own choice. Those involved thought it would be better for me to hidden away from those eyes that do not understand. *  
  
"I'm sorry… I still don't really know what you're talking about, Sir… uh… do you have a name?" Sellie sat down on the rock.  
  
* Thee cannot pronounce my true name in thee tongue… but the humans always called me "Dralion." *  
  
"Dralion…" she sounded it out on her tongue. "My name is…"  
  
* I know thee name, Selmé Rynna from the House of Fanel. * Dralion interrupted her. * Or would thee rather call thee Sellie as thee friends and family do? *  
  
Her eyes widened. "How do you know my name?" she asked slowly.   
  
* It is rather sudden of me to introduce thee to what has been remained hidden for so long, little one, * he said. * The time is not right at this moment. However, I will tell thee a story that will come into importance soon. *  
  
He gestured to an area closer to him, but elevated from the rocky floor. Still being wary of her certain situation, Sellie climbed to the spot and looked at the great dragon before her, studying him.  
  
She had only seen drawings and sketches of these magnificent creatures that had been recorded in the texts of the Fanelian library. But no one had come close to the truly awesome experience of being near one. His body was definitely much larger than a land-dragon's, though he did not reach the same mass as the Crusade did. His leathery wings now lay folded on his side, hiding his hind legs underneath. His forearms were visible, each with its own hand-like claw. The dark red scales glimmered as they traveled down his long body, also with horns along the ridge of his back. Two long horns protruded from his temples, along with smaller ones making up the crown. Sellie could see his long, dagger-like teeth emerging from his lips, but still, she did not feel afraid. His eyes told her otherwise. They seemed to be all-knowing and full of wisdom.   
  
* Yes, dear one, I have been alive since the Seventh Age. I have been around for much longer than that, but my story takes place at that specific time.   
  
I was hatched different from all the other dragons of my kind. Thee are aware of the energist hearts that my cousins carrying within themselves? * Sellie nodded. * It is the same for my brothers and sisters, though much larger. However, I was born with two inside me. *  
  
"Two?" she asked. "Is that even possible?"  
  
* I am living proof sitting before thee. * Dralion replied. * It had been prophesized that I would come to be like this by the Wise Woman of Siemmena, a large country located here before Cassia that has long disappeared. Siemmena was a safe haven of creatures of the Magic, such as beast-me and the children who escaped from Atlantis.  
  
At this point, the People of the World lived in harmony, dragon and human alike. I enjoyed the company of the humans as well, although not many dragons would like to admit that. There was one female human that I liked the most. Her name was Aerin. I felt this strange attraction to her and her to I as well. She was a Priestess of the Old Ways in Siemmena, born with a strange ability to sense the future.   
  
I had already seen many centuries by the time she had reached her 21st rotation. Every time I was near her, my twinned hearts would beat rapidly within my breast. It was announced to both Aerin and I by the Wise Woman that we were soul mates, destined to one another. *  
  
"Soul mates?" Sellie asked. "A human and a…"  
  
* Yes, a dragon. We found it odd as well, but the Wise Woman said that it did not matter that there was love between two species. It was more of a spiritual bond between us that would unite us as one. I spent everyday with her, talking, just spending time with her. We could not be away from each other for it would drive us mad.   
  
All around us, times were changing. The People were losing sight of the Old Ways, turning their attention to the future. Chaos began to lash out and attack those who believed in the Magic, Siemmena and people of Ispano being main targets. Allies were needed. Countries such as Fanelia and Austria agreed to aid us. A long and devastating war broke out that divided Gaea in two.  
  
In the end, Siemmena was destroyed and Ispano fled to the Dimensional Gap. The few people that were able to escape survived in the allying countries, Aerin being one of them. They congregated together to plan out what was in stake of their future. The Atlanteans went into hiding, for fear of persecution. The remaining few wanted to protect the people that could make some sort of difference. Therefore, it was decreed that Aerin would be married to the King of Fanelia to ensure her safety.   
  
Aerin and I were heartbroken. We knew that we could never having something more than just being with one another. I told her to go become Queen of the dragon country where she would be protected. However, I knew I would never be allowed to see her again. Fanelia was a country that followed the Dragon God, but would kill live ones.   
  
I retreated to a hidden cave so that I could be alone. Only the Priestesses and the Wise Woman knew where I was. It hurt me so when I did not see her the next day, nor the day after that, nor the day after that. Preparations were being made for her union with the King. One of Aerin's fellow Priestesses told me that the gift that Ispano was giving to Fanelia was a Guymelef, something that they had been creating especially for the King for over a hundred years. It was nearing completion, but needed an energist heart.  
  
Now, Child, thee know that dragons are magical creatures. We can live for many years. But it was very odd for the duration of life that I had already lived was fairly long as it was. The Wise Woman told me that my hearts made me almost immortal. She also told me that the purpose of my twinned hearts was at hand. I knew what I had to do. *  
  
"You gave up one of your hearts for Escaflowne?" Sellie asked.   
  
* It may seem odd, but it was possible. This way, I was able to be closer to Aerin, still being able to protect her. The reaction of my energist heart within the Ispano Guymelef; the bond between the Great Armor and the pilot is a blood connection. But that bond also connected me to the both of them as well. I could feel the King's pulse and heart rhythm each time he sat inside.  
  
Years went by like they were days. Aerin was aware of my presence inside of the Escaflowne and during the nights, she would come into the shrine and simply touch the metal exterior. It was the only way we could be together, but it was still beautiful.  
  
I continued to not age, though I felt so old inside. It was the opposite for Aerin. Her soul was eternal, though her body aged. She had already borne the King two healthy male heirs, whom had grown up to be young men.   
  
War again broke out, this time, directly in Fanelia. A band of rioters from countries all over collected and overthrew the city. My second heart beat rapidly as I could feel the King enter Escaflowne. Once more, I could see all what he could see. And I saw devastation. The city in flames, bodies littering the ground. I searched desperately for Aerin. And I saw her. *  
  
Dralion stopped speaking and twisted his long neck to the side. Sellie looked upon him with hurt inside of her.  
  
* One of the bandits, a woman, came up from behind as Aerin was aiding people to safety. The woman unsheathed her blade and rammed it through her.   
  
I roared, but it did no good. I wasn't there. I was still in my cave near Siemmena. She fell to the ground… I still can see it clearly. The King left Escaflowne, but I could still see through his eyes. He picked her up into his arms… into my arms… and clutched her so tightly. She looked directly into him… to me… and told me that I had to wait for her… she would return to protect Fanelia and Gaea once again… and that after that, we can finally be together. *  
  
Silence loomed inside the cave, the waterfall a dull roar. Sellie fidgeted on the hard cold rock.   
  
"So…" she started, breaking the stillness that unnerved. "Is that why you've stayed in here for all those years?"  
  
* It was my own choice, as well as some help from the Wise Woman. The only time that my Aerin would return was when something threatened all of Gaea that was unnatural. It seemed only right that I should hide away from humans that did not understand. They hunted down my kind… which is why I am the last. *  
  
Sellie shifted, feeling guilt overflow her thoughts. Her father had killed a dragon with the aide of her mother, only because he needed the energist heart inside to prove that he did so. As did every Fanelian King since the first reign.  
  
"You said that you were here to help me 'during my journey'," she said finally. "I mean, I kind of get it how I'm involved in your life. I'm the descendant of Aerin through my father's side of the family. But I'm still not sure of why I'm here."  
  
* Thee came here, seeking answers, didn't thee? *  
  
"I didn't know I had questions."   
  
Dralion changed his position so that one of his front claws was free. * Thee have been asking thee-self recently about what is missing in thee life. Thee feels different. Different from others. *  
  
"Yeah, so?" she said moodily. "I'm thirteen. Its how people my age feel" But Dralion was right.  
  
* Thee _are_ different, Sellie. * he replied. * Thee has always known it. Have thee ever had feelings… intuitions… guesses that are usually correct? Because thee felt it that it were true? *  
  
"Yes, but everyone has those…"  
  
* Have thee ever seen something before it happened? * Dralion interrupted her.  
  
Sellie stopped speaking for a moment. "Once," she answered quietly. "This happened two years ago. I was riding with my father and some of his guards… I could see it so clearly in my mind… and then it happened."  
  
* What? *  
  
"One of the horses tripped and stumbled. He broke on of his legs and threw his rider. Luckily, the guard flew into the brush to the side of the road. But the horse…" she hesitated.   
"I can still hear his screams until one of the other guards killed it to stop the pain." She sat thoughtfully. "I did See it somehow before I actually _did_ see it."  
  
Dralion smiled, or what looked like a smile. * Thee has what is the beginning of the Sight, as did Aerin. *  
  
"The Sight?"  
  
* Thee were born with this power, but sometimes, it is dormant until the carrier reaches a certain age, usually teenage years. But it can normally be sensed before the First Seeing occurs. *  
  
"What do you mean, 'sensed'?"  
  
* I can sense whether or not a human has the Sight. * He lifted his great fore claw and held it just in front of Sellie. * I see thee before me, but I cannot See thee at all. It is almost as if thee were walking around in a fog. Thee cannot be sensed. *  
  
Sellie stood up quickly, but did not back away from the scaled claw coming towards her. "What if you made contact? Would you sense me then?" she asked as she softly stroked her own palm against his claw. As so as their skin touched, the pendant flared.  
  
A sharp pain climbed up her spine and settled in her mind. Dralion and the cavern melted away, revealing the Cassian palace. It looked the same.  
  
But it unsettled her to see all the black-clothed soldiers running around, swords drawn and ready to attack.  
  
Her heart panicked. Where was Mom and Dad? It seemed to be that the soldiers did not see her as she raced to find her parents.   
  
She could see numerous guests she recognized from dinner sprinting across the courtyard, pursued by the soldiers. They were cornered and fenced in.  
  
"Mom! Dad!" she cried. She could see a group of the military surrounding something in a closed circle. As she neared, she could see a flash of silver… very similar to the dress that her mother wore to dinner. In fact, it looked exactly…  
  
"MOM!" she screamed, running towards the group. Despite her sudden outburst, the military did not turn around and grab her as well. She peeked in the cracks between the guards' legs and saw another glimpse of silver. One of the soldiers moved aside and Sellie gasped.  
  
Hitomi was on her knees, her silver dress soiled at the hems. One man grasped her hair and had her head pulled back by her hair. He held his sword against her neck, and Sellie saw a fine trickle of blood seeping down her throat.   
  
Van was also held captive, but restrained by three men. The fourth soldier kicked him in the gut and he dropped to his knees, groaning in pain.  
  
Sellie felt her stomach churn. Why… she cried. Why…  
  
Suddenly, the soldiers parted and changed their attention in Sellie's direction. She slowly turned around, fearing of what was behind her.  
  
Someone clad in a black cloak slowly approached the group, the hood drawn up so that no one could see its owner's face. Sellie thought that the being would reach out and grab her, but it made no such movement.  
  
Instead, the shadow person lifted its hand and gave the soldiers the execution signal.  
  
Sellie collapsed as her world turned black and the only sound that resonated was her mother's blood-curdling scream.  
  
* * *  
  
She found herself upon the ground being nudged gently by Dralion. She tried sitting up, but the dragon instinctively forced her back to the floor. It was a good thing too; her head still swam with dizziness. She could faintly hear him calling her name to bring her back to reality.  
  
* Sellie! Are thee alright? What did thee See? *  
  
"What… was… that?" she gasped aloud.  
  
* Thee had a vision… a very powerful one at that. What did thee See? * he repeated.  
  
She coughed loudly. "I'm not sure. It was back at Cassia. I saw… oh gods…" she brought her hand to her mouth. "Mom and Dad! Something happened to them! Or is going to!" She stood to her feet and stumbled to the magical wall. She held up her hand to it. Hopefully, this time she could get through.  
  
* Wait! Child! Do not go out there! It is unsafe for thee! * Dralion's voice echoed within her mind. She did not stop. She could pass through the wall. There was no stopping her.  
  
Sorry, my friend… she thought. Something is going to happen and I want to prevent it.  
  
* * *  
  
Meanwhile…  
  
Hitomi stood alone on the balcony, staring up at the stars and at the Earth. It was amazing. Back in Japan, she and her father went star-gazing, but had trouble since of all the bright lights. She could never imagine how many stars there actually were. She remembered an old tale about each star representing a soul. When a person died, the star's light would fade out. When would her light fade?  
  
She shook her head. She had plenty of good years with Van, Sellie, and her friends.   
  
She sighed and slumped so that her arms hung over the side of the balcony. "What a night," she muttered to herself. She couldn't wait to get back to Fanelia. Maybe coming to this party was a big mistake.  
  
Where was Van anyway? He just wanted to go check up on Sellie, but that shouldn't take that long.   
  
She shivered. Funny, its not that cold out. Sure, its early spring, but it should be a warm night.   
  
She sighed again and retreated back to the guest quarters. No sense in catching a cold just because she was too stubborn to wear something warmer. As she walked back into the Great Ballroom, she saw many of the guests walking out to the courtyard to observe the gardens. She nodded her head in respect as the older ladies shuffled past her, her ears keen to their mutterings about Fanelia's "way-of-life", it being not regal enough. Hitomi shrugged her shoulders. Fanelia was prosperous and she treated her people with equality.  
  
She crept into her and Van's private room and began to untie her corset and shed from the dress. The outfit was suffocating.  
  
Her chamber room door burst open. She barely managed to cover herself once more with the top material. The torchlight flickered reflected Van's fuming features.  
  
"Van! What do you…" she shouted.  
  
"Sellie isn't in her room!" he interrupted rudely as he paced the room. "I've been looking for her and for you."   
  
Hitomi walked quickly to him and placed her hands on his chest to stop him. "Calm down," she said softly. He obeyed, but still was very tense.  
  
"Now, lets think rationally," she continued. "I left her in her room _alone_ at the most 45 minutes ago. She probably is taking a walk to clear her head and…"  
  
"Hitomi, just stop!" he said harshly, pushing her away from him. "I don't know exactly how you were raised on the Mystic Moon, but when someone disappears, you usually worry about them!"  
  
"Excuse me?" she asked quietly. What has come over him?  
  
"Fanelia is one thing. We _live_ there. But, here we are, together in a foreign country and she goes running off into the night once again! And you are so goddamn optimistic about it!"  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Hitomi asked, her words feeling stuck in her throat. "I am as worried about Sellie as you are, Van. There is no need to get angry at me for it."  
  
"You of all people should know how dangerous Gaea is, Hitomi," he continued, not hearing a word she said. "You told me yourself, how it was a big difference from the Mystic Moon."  
  
She glared angrily at him. "You make Earth sound like its paradise," she said coldly. "Well, its not. There's a constant war somewhere in the world, especially when I left." She paused, thinking. "And speaking of when I left, you remember when I returned to Gaea and you found me unconscious wearing angel wings?"  
  
"Yeah, so?" Van replied quickly. "You said you were at a masquerade or something."  
  
"I never told you this, because I never wanted you to know for reasons," she said, tears brimming at the edges of her lashes. "I was a Halloween party, yes, but I was there with a guy who I thought was a friend. He took advantage of me, Van, slipped a drug into my drink, and tried to rape me. The only reason I managed to escape was that the pillar of light saved me." Her voice broke on the last word. There! She had finally spoken those words she had dread. She could not stand to see his look of shock and disgust on his face, so she fled from the room.  
  
She did not have a specific destination to go, only somewhere that could give her fresh air. She needed to breathe and relax her tensed body. She didn't even realize it she was outside until she felt a cool night's breeze on her wet face. She looked around and discovered she was in the courtyard, now abandoned by the party-goers. Where was everyone?  
  
"Hitomi!"  
  
She couldn't face him. Not after she had just told him something she had kept hidden from him for years.  
  
"Hitomi!" His hand grabbed her shoulder and turned her around sharply. Her glistening green eyes stared hard into his.   
  
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" he asked softly. There was hurt in his eyes, and she had caused that pain.   
  
"I didn't want to worry you. I was safe," she sighed. "Besides, Naoko told me when I came home that he was put away so he won't harm others."  
  
"But still…" he said. "I wished you had told me."   
  
Instead of letting her go, he drew her into his arms and embraced her tightly. Hitomi buried her face into his shirt and sighed.  
  
"Why did we fight?" she asked quietly.  
  
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I was annoyed by Sellie's behavior and I took it out on the wrong person."  
  
"I shouldn't have yelled. I'm worried about her too."  
  
They remained in each others arms in silence for a moment, not wanting to let go. Hitomi listened to Van's heartbeat grow more slow as he calmed down. He kissed the cradle of her neck and closed her eyes.  
  
"So now what?" she asked, not daring to move.  
  
"I don't know… maybe go out looking for her? I'm assuming she went into the forest, but since you can See her, she could be anywhere."  
  
"Alright," Hitomi agreed. "Let me go change my clothes. I can't go anywhere in this gown!"  
  
"I'll be waiting here," he said.   
  
She broke the embrace and walked slowly back towards the palace. Before she entered the doorways, she turned around in mid-step and gave him a gentle smile. She could see him return the gesture with his smirk, but his own smile quickly turned into a face of horror.   
  
Suddenly, she could feel a sharp blade on her throat and a raspy breathing on her skin. "Don't make a sound, Your Highness," the man's voice whispered into her ear.  
  
"Hitomi!" Van shouted desperately, but he too was surrounded by black-clothed soldiers. Three of them grabbed him so that he could not break free.   
  
"Let's go out into the night, shall we, Your Majesties?" the same man that had spoken to Hitomi announced coldly to the group. Van struggled against his captors while Hitomi had no choice but to move.  
  
* * *  
  
Sellie raced through the foliage as fast as she could, her mind processing even more quickly than her feet. She could see the high towers of Cassia ahead of her, but she could also see a leviship sitting outside the gates that she did not recognize when she flew in.  
  
I have to stop that vision from coming true, she thought as she pressed on. If only I can get there in time.  
  
* * *  
  
why didn't i get a vision of this?   
  
i don't know… but i'll get you out of this, love… what's going on?  
  
something's wrong here…  
  
They managed to remain linked together while they were forcefully pushed into the clearing. Hitomi could see out of the corner of her eye many more of the dark dressed soldiers, each with their face covered. She sensed Van's emotions of confusion and anger and tried to help him cool down.  
  
The soldier that held her shoved her down hard so that she knelt in the wet grass. She closed her eyes and winced as she could feel the shock of pain jolt through her bones. The soldier grabbed her hair and pulled her head back so that her throat was exposed. Van was still held a-ways from her. The rest of the soldiers surrounded her in a circle.  
  
"Well, well, what have we here?" a cold voice spoke. Hitomi watched as three more people clad in black cloaks approached her.   
  
"Who… are… you?" she managed to croak out.  
  
The tallest one removed its hood and Tarn's face appeared in the moonlight. "What's wrong, Your Majesty? Not enjoying the festivities?" he replied.  
  
"Tarn?!" Van shouted from his position. "What the hell are you doing?!"  
  
"My part in the deal, dear boy," he said. "I needed to lure the Fanels here and I've done so."  
  
"Deal?" Hitomi whispered. "What do you mean?"  
  
The second tallest figure walked forward, its hood remaining up. "I made a deal with Lord Tarn awhile ago," it spoke, the person beneath the robe hiding its voice so that it could be either male or female. "I was aware of his connection with Fanelia in the upcoming alignment. I promised him that if he would hand over the Fanels, that I would make Cassia more powerful than it could ever be. Once, of course, things went smoothly."  
  
Hitomi's eyes welled with tears as she looked at Tarn. "We trusted you?" she said. "Why?"  
  
He smirked. "I would do anything for my country, My Lady."  
  
Her heart beat rapidly as she turned her attention back to the other cloaked person. "Who are you?" she pleaded.  
  
"Don't you know me, Hitomi?" the person beneath asked. "Can't you… sense me?"  
  
Hitomi's eyes widened at the sound of this. Very few people knew of her ability to have premonitions. It was an infamous title that was given to her, but not many knew of what she could actually do.   
  
And that she couldn't See into this person bothered her as well.  
  
"No, you can't, can you?" the voice snidely remarked. "But I'm also surprised that you don't even remember my voice. You would think that I would make a significant impact in your life."  
  
It raised its gloved hand and slowly drew back its black hood, revealing the face that made Hitomi's heart stop.  
  
"What? Please say you remember me," Ashira grinned.  
  
Hitomi looked at the girl, for in fact, her face remained the same from the day she was entrapped inside the energist jewel at the temple in Gahwindah. She still appeared to be 21. Her once-long golden hair that tumbled to her waist in curls was now cut short and pulled back in a very tight ponytail. Her face was much paler than what she could recall it being, and there were many scars upon her cheeks. Only her piercing blue eyes had remained the same.  
  
She could not find the words that she wanted to say, but apparently, Van could. "Ashira…" he murmured, then grew stronger. "How… how is this possible?"  
  
"Long story, Fanel, that I really don't have the time for at this moment," she replied, then turned her eyes back to Hitomi. "Thank you, Lord Tarn, for assisting me in this task. You will be rewarded shortly after I am done."  
  
"I humbly thank you, My Lady," he bowed, then returned to his place next to the third cloaked figure.  
  
Ashira approached Hitomi and nodded at the soldier to let her go. He quickly obeyed and removed the dagger from her throat and left the two women in the center. Hitomi struggled to stand to her feet, but could not move at all.  
  
"What's wrong, Hitomi?" Ashira asked sweetly. "Having trouble standing?"  
  
She glared at the blonde girl. "What have you done?" she growled.  
  
"Something that you apparently have not been practicing with at all," she replied. "See, I am well aware of our current situation, my dear friend. I know that not only did the Power of Atlantis enter you all those years ago… that it entered me as well. But, since I know that you were the kind of person that would keep this wonderful gift dormant and secret, that you would not know how to use what was given to the fullest extent." She stared hard at Hitomi as the older woman reluctantly rose to her feet. "I feel you fighting me now. That's good, Hitomi. But alas, you are not strong enough to defeat me."  
  
She grasped Hitomi's already outstretched hand. The touch of their skin triggered a bright white light that engulfed them both. The soldiers that surrounded the two shaded their eyes, but Van stared at the glow.  
  
"Hitomi!" he shouted.   
  
But he was too late. As the glow diminished, both Ashira and Hitomi had disappeared.  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
Holy crap! That was the hardest chapter I've ever had to write! Why did it take so long? Well, the end of my first year in college is almost at an end. THANK GOD! I miss home so much and I need to go back. Ummm… no idea when the next one will be worked on, but it will be eventually. I'm rather pissed at the moment because I spent a lot of money at ebay like 3 weeks ago on Hitomi's Tarot cards and I still haven't gotten them. I've tried contacting the guy, but he hasn't answered. And besides the fact that I'm mad at everyone here doesn't really help me out at the moment.  
  
Anyhow, I'm not sure how this is all going to work out but hopefully it will. The title is a song from Cirque du Soleil(?). If you have noticed, Quidam and Dralion are both names of different Cirque shows because I'm obsessed. 


	8. In the Rain

Date. 06.02.2002 (finally finished on 07.20.2002. Egad.)  
Time. 6.30 pm California time!!  
Music. Actually, watching Invader Zim   
Chapter 8  
  
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne nor any of its characters. If I did, you would most definitely see a director's cut version of what REALLY happened at the end of the series.  
  
Author's notes. (06.02.2002) Well well… I am home in my lovely state of California after 6 months of being away from all my friends and family. It seemed like forever for me. Anyhow, since all my finals and the first year is over with, the only thing I have to do this summer is work… and write more of Parvulus de Crepuscid! Woot woot! I think I might start going into revising since I'm kinda at a still point and am not quite sure where this story is going to go just yet. Some things will start to be explained in the upcoming few chapters finally and then there will be some action as well.  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 8. In the Rain  
  
* * *  
  
Her eyes widened in fear as she approached the Cassian palace with caution. There were several dark-clothed military soldiers standing about the leviship outside the walls, very similar to the ones she saw in her vision. How am I going to get past them, she wondered.  
  
As if luck were on her side, one of the soldiers called for the others to prepare the leviship or something. They quickly left their posts and the front gate was open. Sellie seized her opportunity of chance and snuck through the giant archway.   
  
She could see a large crowd of people gathered in the center of the courtyard, about five hundred feet from where she stood. She knew, somehow, that her parents were held there, as if they were captive. Almost… as if she had sensed it somehow. The vision had been blurry enough so that she could not recognize the detailed surroundings. How did she know where they were then?  
  
"How'd she get by?!" a deep male voice shouted from behind her. Sellie quickly turned round to see a few of guards, bearing arms, coming towards her. She sprinted to the circle in the courtyard at full speed.  
  
"Get her!" he ordered.   
  
She could hear their boots hitting the ground with such force as they pursued her. Although she knew she was a very fast runner, it would not take long for these larger men to catch up her. But what if… she had to try and make it, just to see her parents once more.  
  
She was only about fifty feet away when a bright light suddenly illuminated the group of people ahead of her, causing her to shade her eyes. She could hear cries of exclamation from the men in front and behind her. She would have continued to run towards her destination, but a searing pain shot throughout her body. Her mother's pendant began to glow wildly as she clutched her heart and stumbled to her knees. She gasped for air as she looked up from the ground, tears brimming in her eyes. The light had vanished with the men looking around confused. And then, she could see her father.  
  
He was still held by three men, exactly how she saw it in her premonition. However, he did not seem as abused as she Saw it. Two black-cloaked figures, one being Lord Tarn, the other still shrouded, stood just next to him. But where was her mother?  
  
"Hitomi!" Van cried out into the night, towards heaven. She could see his face so clearly from this distance, his features contorted in pain and angst. She stood to her feet and began to walk towards him, unbalanced.  
  
"Daddy!" she called out to him at the moment she was about to fall once more. However, strong arms wrapped themselves around her body and held her tightly. Too late, her mind panicked. Caught.  
  
"DADDY!" she screamed louder as more soldiers withheld her roughly, keeping her limbs constrained. Van averted his attention from the sky to his daughter. As he turned his head, the other cloaked person stepped forward and removed his mask. Quidam… her face changed from fear to hurt as she looked at him, the now-free tears falling from her eyes. Quidam did this?  
  
"Sellie?" she could see the puzzled look on Van's face as he mouthed her name. Then, with the rest of his remaining strength, he struggled to break free of his hold. "Sellie!"  
  
"Daddy!" she cried out again. One of the soldiers covered her mouth as they pulled her back outside the courtyard and towards the leviship landing pad. Quidam just watched her as he grew smaller in the distance, his eyes showing no other expression but sadness.  
  
"Let her go, you son of a bitch!" she could hear her father shout angrily as he disappeared from view. "Sellie!"  
  
* * *  
  
The moment that Hitomi had vanished from his eyes, it seemed that Time had slowed to a halt. Van felt an incredibly intense energy being ripped away from his own heart that had lasted both a fraction of a second and an eternity. The light had blinded him as he was swallowed into the pain.  
  
The next thing he knew, Hitomi and Ashira were gone from his sight, and he could see Sellie in the distance being chased by Tarn's men. His hearing, still ringing from earlier, could barely make out her voice screaming for him.   
  
Why… he questioned silently. Why am I always losing those I love?  
  
hitomi! he screamed out in his mind over and over. He searched desperately within himself for the golden link that connected he and his soul mate to each other's hearts. But nothing remained of the connection between he and Hitomi. For the first time in twenty years, he had become truly alone.  
  
Where are you…  
  
"Captain," he heard Tarn order. "Will you please escort Lord Fanel to his new chambers and detain him there under further notice?"  
  
What has happened…  
  
"Yes, Sire," the Captain replied and glanced at one of the men holding Van. He received another blow in the face, which diminished his struggles against the soldiers. His vision obscured, he could feel them dragging his body through the grass   
  
Why…  
  
He heard someone calling his name in surprise and alarm. He managed to lift his battered head to see Allen's grimaced face. Although he too was being forced back along with the other party-goers, the Asturian Knight remained free.  
  
We'll break you out, Allen mouthed to him. It took Van a moment to comprehend what his friend's lips said, but he nodded in agreement. He turned and ran back towards the palace.   
  
His sight was still blurry as he felt himself forced up the metal gangway into what seemed to be a leviship. Colors and lights flashed before his eyes, but he could not recognize definite shapes. He stumbled along the corridor, sometimes knocked in the stomach by one of the officers as they walked.   
  
"Get in there!" the soldier growled, shoving him harshly. His balance still distorted, Van fell hard on his side. He groaned in pain and felt his ribs. Though battered, they seemed to be whole.  
  
"Sweet dreams, Your… Highness," the soldier said snidely, then slammed the cell door shut, laughing with his comrades. The clang of the metal echoed in the silent room.  
  
Van held his forehead in pain and frustration. The entire leviship shuddered as it lifted from the ground. Now where?  
  
"Daddy?" a small voice whispered from outside of his cell. He rose to his feet, noticing that he was regaining his balance and that his eyesight slowly was returning. He grasped the metal bars that stood vertical in the tiny opening of his door.  
  
"Sellie? Is that you?" he asked, his voice hoarse. He could see her fingers also wrapped around the bars on her door across the hall.  
  
"Yeah," she answered. Her face peeked in the crack. Van saw her wide green eyes stare back into his. Hitomi's eyes…  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked more sternly this time.  
  
"Yeah… I've just got some scratches from the forest…" the tone of her voice sounded like the poor child was in shock. She seemed disoriented and confused. But who wouldn't be after the ordeal she was just put through?   
  
"What were you doing in the forest?! What were you thinking?" he snapped, a little more than he had planned to. All of his anger and emotions were brought out at that moment… and they were towards the one person that shouldn't take it. But he was cross and scared for her. She went out into an unknown forest by herself in the middle of the night. And he let his parental instincts take over.  
  
At this point, her voice broke. "I'm sorry!" she cried. "I just wanted some fresh air! I didn't mean to travel so far away from the palace. I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I didn't…"   
  
"Shhh… Sellie… shhh…" Van tried to comfort the girl and calm her nerves, returning to his own self once more. "It's alright… I didn't mean to yell like that… shhhh… I'm sorry. We were just… worried about you."  
  
Sellie sniffled a little. "I just don't understand what is going on now… why does Lord Tarn want us? Where did they take Mom to?"  
  
"I'm not sure, Sellie…" he stammered. "I'm not sure of anything anymore. But I do know this… whatever happens, I'm going to get you out of here and take you far away from all of this. This fight, this conflict… this _war_ is not yours."  
  
She looked at him and nodded her head. He cracked an awkward grin at her that seemed to ease her shattered nerves. "Now, I know it won't be very comfortable… but try and rest. I'll stay up and keep watch. We're probably going to be in here for awhile… otherwise, they wouldn't need a leviship for transportation."  
  
She snorted. "Sleep," she muttered. "That's the last thing that's on my mind."   
  
* * *  
  
What the hell is going on? Allen thought impatiently as he ran in the palace, weaving in and out of rooms looking for Millerna and Dryden. Had something happened to his King and Queen as well? Why Van, Hitomi, and Sellie?  
  
He assumed that wherever Tarn had been taking Van and Sellie that he had already taken Hitomi. He did not see her among the large group of soldiers dressed in black.   
  
He hurried past Rouen's guestroom and glanced briefly, almost missing the unmistakable flash of golden hair. He halted urgently and walked in.   
  
Millerna lounged upon Rouen's bed, holding a half-drunken glass of vino in her hand. Her son was sprawled over the arms of the large leather chair that sat in the far corner. At the moment that Allen walked in, Millerna sat up.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked, setting down her glass.   
  
He didn't answer right away. "Where's Dryden?" he said instead.  
  
"He's out on the balcony… smoking his pipe," she gestured to the open door. "Why? What's going on?"  
  
He walked towards her and grabbed her hand. "We're leaving," he said harshly. "Dryden! Let's go!"  
  
Millerna cried out softly and pulled her arm away. "What is going on!?" she shouted. Dryden walked in.  
  
"Allen, what is the meaning of this?" he asked calmly, his face showing his seriousness.   
  
He sighed. "Something happened to the Fanels just now," he finally explained. "I just saw Tarn arrest Van… it looked like he had been beaten before I had gotten there. I also saw them dragging Sellie into the leviship on the landing pad. I didn't see Hitomi, but I'm assuming that she was already in it."  
  
Millerna drew her hands to cover her mouth. "Oh gods," she whispered.   
  
Rouen, as soon as Allen had mentioned Sellie's name, straightened himself in the armchair. "They did something to Sellie?" he inquired.  
  
Allen shook his head. "She wasn't hurt… just scared," he replied. "I'm going after them, and I don't want to leave you in the hands of someone like Tarn."  
  
"Give us a moment," Dryden said, but Rouen was already at the door.   
  
"I'm going with Sir Allen," he shouted back.   
  
"Rouen! Wait!" Millerna cried.  
  
"Mom, Sellie's in trouble," he turned around and looked into his mother's eyes. "I'm not going to sit around and do nothing." He paused. "Besides, you know why I am going."  
  
She looked at the boy, and, for a moment, he seemed to have grown to a young man in her eyes, exactly the person that Hitomi had prophesized he would be all those years ago. But she blinked and the vision vanished, leaving her with her 14 year old son.  
  
"Go," she whispered. "We'll catch up."  
  
Rouen grinned and raced out the door, quickly followed by Allen.  
  
They burst out of the front courtyard doors just in time to see Tarn's leviship… the Myriad, as Allen recalled him calling it, disappearing over the northern mountains. It seemed that the remaining soldiers had boarded the leviship along with Tarn, for they were nowhere in sight.   
  
"Come, Prince Rouen," he said. "The Crusade is over here. I'll need to wake the Crew to get it started, but we should be ready to go by the time that your parents arrive."  
  
The boy nodded. "What do you want me to do?" he asked. "I know how to work on a leviship. Father lets me tinker with ours."  
  
"Good, then go to the propeller rooms and heat up the energist stones. Those should take a while to get going."  
  
Rouen nodded and took off down the empty corridor, his footsteps echoing against the metal floor. He's got the adventurous spirit that his mother has, Allen thought.  
  
He took a sharp right at the intersection of hallways and entered the sleeping quarters of his crew. He slammed his fist against the first shut door loudly.   
  
"Reeden!" he shouted. "Get up! We're leaving!"  
  
There was a silence, then a moan and a shuffle within the room. A second later, the short Crew member opened the narrow door, rubbing his eyes.  
  
"What's wrong, Boss?" he asked wearily.  
  
"We're leaving. Rouse the others." He took off to the other quarters further down the hall. Reeden shrugged his shoulders, yawned, and knocked hard on the next door.  
  
"C'mon, you lazy asses!" he yelled and tried to muffle another yawn. "We're gonna go crash another party!"  
  
Other members of the Crew emptied out in the hallways, some half-dressed in bed clothing. Many were confused, but Reeden just slapped them on the back.   
  
"The Boss wants us to start up the Crusade," he said. "No questions asked."  
  
Allen quickly went into his own chambers at the end and grabbed his sword. He then walked across and pounded on his sister's door.  
  
"Celena! You there? Wake up!" he shouted. He had noticed earlier that she was not in her guestroom inside the Cassian palace. Perhaps she was spending the night in the leviship.  
  
He heard gasping and sudden movement inside the room. Fearful that something was wrong, he barged in.  
  
Celena had only managed to slip on a sheer robe and wrap it about her thin body as Allen stepped into the room. But the look of shock and anger on her brother's narrowed face was not fixated on her, but on the half-dressed Gaddes standing behind her.  
  
"Boss… I… I can explain," Gaddes stammered.   
  
"Get out," was the cold reply.   
  
"But Boss…"  
  
"Gaddes… its alright," Celena interrupted. "Could you give us a moment, please?"   
  
The Second-in-Command paused momentarily, grabbed his shirt, and slipped out of the room.  
  
Celena looked upon him, her usually calm sapphire eyes were glowing with fire and rage. "You have no right, Brother."  
  
"Get dressed. We're leaving." Allen quickly spun on his boots and left the room. Celena pulled the robe tighter and followed after him.  
  
"You have NO right, Brother!" she repeated louder. "This is MY life!"  
  
"Yes, and you are my sister and *he* is my Number One," he snapped. He caught one of the Crew members' eyes. He took the hint and cleared the hallway.  
  
"This is my life, Allen," she said slowly. "You are not the one to tell me what to do. All my life, you've been making my decisions for me… never letting me have a choice in the matter."  
  
"Oh, so am I supposed to stand aside and allow you to sleep with one of my men?"  
  
"Gods, Allen! You make it sound like I'm whoring myself!" she shouted. "I'm 34 years-old. I am the one to choose who I love. And I love Gaddes."  
  
Allen turned around, shaking his head. "I do NOT have time for this. I'm going after the Fanels. Are you coming or not?"  
  
Celena stared at him with glistening eyes. "I'm with you," she finally said quietly.   
  
"Good," Allen replied frigidly. "Then this matter will be settled later, understand?" He continued walking to the control room as the sounds of the engines roared to life.  
  
"Only when you understand that Gaddes and I love each other!" she cried after him. He took no heed and continued walking. At the moment when he disappeared around the corner, Celena fell to her knees and burst into tears.  
  
* * *  
  
Sellie had decided not to tell Van about her experience with the dragon in the mystical cave behind the waterfall. She wasn't sure quite why, but she felt that subject did not fit into their current predicament. She fell into a dreamless sleep against the cold metal floor shortly after her talk with her father. His face was so battered and bruised, she had noticed.   
  
A sudden shift had knocked her from her sleep. She rubbed one eye and walked to the door.  
  
"Dad?" she called across the hall. "You awake?"  
  
"Yes, Sellie," he replied groggily. "Be prepared."  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?"  
  
His voice was so low, Sellie had to strain to hear him. "I overheard one of the guards. They are going to remove us from the cells and take us somewhere. I want you to be ready for anything."  
  
She nodded in the silence. But be prepared for what?  
  
It didn't take that long to answer her unspoken question. She could hear their loud footsteps sounding against the metallic floor as they made way to the end of the hallway to their cells. At the moment when the key clicked inside of the lock, Sellie burst from her containment and into her father's arms. The soldiers made no immediate movement to break their reunion, but soon, one of them pulled Van down the hall.  
  
"Let's go," he growled. He stood in front of Van and headed the way.  
  
The guards led them into a large open area, what Sellie could only assume was the bridge of the leviship. Several crew members hurried about, checking on the gauges and levels on the control panel. More of the dark-clad soldiers stood about with swords at their sides and long spears in their hands.   
  
Lord Tarn and Quidam stood at the front, staring out in the grand window that towered above them by about 40 feet. Sellie could barely see anything out beyond the glass; although the sun had not dawned, the sky was a shade of gray.  
  
"Well, well… you all look rested and healthy… as well as could expected," Tarn grinned.   
  
"Go to hell," Van spat. "Where are we?"  
  
"Temper, temper, Lord Van," he tsked. "And in front of your daughter as well! Shameful." He walked over to the glass and pointed out into the distance. "As of right now, the Myriad is over the Ravele Desert. I was planning on leaving you out here, but since it is pouring rain right now, there is no sun. Now where is the fun in that? So we are going just beyond that to the mountain chain where the summit is always nice and cold."   
  
"Why are you doing this?" Sellie whispered, her eyes laying solely on Quidam. He avoided her gaze.  
  
"Oh dear child," Tarn approached her. "As a future ruler of your country, you have to know that you would do anything for your people. And that there are certain sacrifices you have to make." He held her chin up to look into her swelling eyes. "Pity, Fanel," he said to Van, still staring at Sellie. "I proposed the engagement to save her life from this fate."   
  
Sellie pulled her head away. Tarn smirked. "But she is as stubborn as you are. Quidam!"  
  
The boy looked up, no emotions in his face. He made no reply.  
  
"Come over here and give your would-have-been bride a proper farewell!"  
  
For a moment, Sellie had believed that the Cassian prince had given second thought to this situation. But her heart fell as he took steps towards her, now staring fully into her eyes. He spoke no audible words to her, but something about those made her think otherwise.   
  
Without warning, he grabbed her and kissed her firmly on the lips.   
  
Van made a wordless protest to only himself, but noticed this was also an unplanned distraction. As the soldiers gave loud cheers for the boy, he seized this opportunity to make some sort of escape. The men, armed but unaware of what was happening, did not notice as their prisoner snuck one of their swords away. With his weakening strength, he managed to break way of the group before they regained their thoughts and attacked him.  
  
Sellie struggled, but only for a moment. She felt helpless as he pulled away and leaned in. "Your mother is home," he whispered quickly into her ear. "Rescue her before three days."  
  
He stood back and stared into her confused eyes. She was about to ask why, but she felt someone grab her hand and yank her away.  
  
"We're getting out of here," she heard her father say. "Stay close!"  
  
She set her feet on the ground and followed Van to the front of the bridge. His sword was ready for battle, as were the other 15 men.   
  
They are herding us, Sellie thought. Against the window… so we can't escape. She glanced up at Van, who looked as though as he were about to give up. However, he hurled his sword at the group, picked up one of the control panel chairs sitting next to them, and tossed it into the great window.   
  
It made a tremendous shattering, putting a small, jagged hole into one of the panes, barely large enough for a child to fit through. Within that second, Van pulled Sellie into his arms and threw himself at the window, his back hitting the glass and protecting his daughter.   
  
The cold air blasted at her as icy raindrops stung her face. She had no time to protest his actions. All now she felt was fear. Beyond the shattering of the glass and the wind whipping about them as they free-fell, she heard Van groan as if he were in pain. She clawed to keep hold of Van even tighter as something bright and white flashed out of the corner of her eye. Search lights? Are they looking for us?   
  
Suddenly, the wind no longer howled… and they had stopped falling. She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched to Van's shirt as she felt them slow and eventually cease to fall. They've got us, she thought in horror.  
  
"Sellie…" she heard Van murmur as he stroked her hair. "It's alright…"   
  
She managed to open one eye and saw that they were hovering over the desert ground, about 40 feet up. She held onto Van even tighter, not understanding how this was possible. She turned around to face her father, but could not help and notice the extensive white wings that flapped against the wind.  
  
"Are you hurt?" he asked urgently.  
  
Sellie shook her head. "D-dad?" she stuttered. "Y-you've got wings?"   
  
He nodded, his face solemn. "I'll explain everything later, but now, we must find someplace safe. Hang on… this could get bumpy."  
  
Sellie wrapped her arms around his neck and watched, wide-eyed, as they descended to the desert floor below. His wings made hardly a rustle as they beat in the dark sky. As she clutched onto Van, Sellie's thoughts raced through her mind. So many things had happened in a short amount of time that she did not know how she felt in this moment. Her mother disappeared, they were betrayed, and now she was flying over a desert with her angel-father. Was he a fallen angel? She did feel a strange calm fill her body as they flew… almost as if she had done this before in a dream…   
  
They landed rather harshly in the wet sand. Sellie was jolted awkwardly from his hold and fell onto her side. She sputtered and spit out the few grains of sand that had gotten into her mouth. Her wet hair clung to her face as she adjusted herself to look at her father. She wanted answers.  
  
However, Van was also laying on the ground, face down, his immaculate wings draped limply over his body. Sellie crawled over and shook him. No effect.  
  
"Daddy?" she asked, dreading the only sound of the falling rain surrounding around them. She struggled as she pushed him so that he was on his back, careful that she would not crush his wings. His linen shirt that he had wore to last night's events was tattered in two locations; one, where his wings had emerged from his back, and the other in his side, where a shard of glass the size of Sellie's open palm was protruding. Dark liquid soaked his shirt from the broken piece. She dared not touch it, for fear that it would cause even more damage.   
  
She tried to remain calm, but fear and panic was quickly taking over her conscious thought. A loud engine could be heard in the distance, cutting through the storming clouds. She looked up to see the Myriad they just escaped from moving further away from them, leaving them alone in the desert.  
  
She moved herself under Van so that she could cradle his head in her lap. His closed eyes would twitch each time a raindrop hit his lids, giving Sellie hope that he could pull through and awake once more.  
  
But how could anyone survive in the conditions that they were in?  
  
Her only remaining hope was praying for a miracle. She knew that they were far from any civilization, even if she would be able to move Van to any different location.  
  
God… she thought, her eyes shut tight. Someone… anyone… please help us. I know that I have not been the most devoted person spiritually that I can be… but I can try harder. My father is hurt… maybe even dying. He just shared his deepest secret with me and I feared him for a moment too soon. He caught that fear in my eyes. Please, God… I want… I want him to know that I am not afraid… and…  
  
She broke down at that moment, letting the tears go that she held back. Please, Dad… wake up… I'm sorry… wake up…  
  
"There's no need to cry, little one," a soft, willowy voice broke through the endless rain. Sellie lifted her head up, her red puffy eyes staring the shadowed outline a person clad in a sleeved cloak upon some sort of elk. "He needs only the sound of your voice to help him heal."  
  
She looked upon her in confusion as the mysterious person dismounted from the tall, proud beast and walked over to where Sellie and Van sat. As the woman (or, at least, Sellie assumed that she was a woman as she had only heard her voice) drew closer, she noticed the fine, intricate details of her green-and-gold cloak. Funny, she thought. It looks fairly familiar to something that Mom has in her wardrobe.   
  
She was rather short, only a little taller than Sellie. Her hood covered half of her face; Sellie could only see her lips as they curled into a faint smile. She tsk-tsked softly as she brushed away Van's wet forelock. "Always getting himself into trouble," she said. She shifted her gaze to Sellie and removed her hood, revealing her bright green eyes and tumbling locks of black hair.  
  
"Who are you?" Sellie whispered.   
  
"Sitting out in the rain and the cold is no way for proper introductions, don't you think… Sellie?" the woman replied.  
  
Sellie sucked in her breath. "How do you know my name?"  
  
"There are many things that I know about you, dear heart, and there are many things that you are going to learn about yourself." She held out her hand. "Please, Sellie, let us go someplace a little… nicer."  
  
The child knew not of what to think. Van and Hitomi had always said do not talk to strangers, but her heart felt more at ease around this woman, just like it had with Dralion. Considering her past few hours of excitement, she chose to follow her heart and trust her instincts. She cautiously placed her hand into the woman's outstretched one.   
  
Besides, ANY place was better than stuck out in the desert storm.  
  
She sighed and lifted her hand to the woman's gesture. As soon as their fingers made contact, a bright flash emerged from inside of her cloak and reached out. It surrounded her and Van. Suddenly, she no longer felt the rain splash against her face. She clenched her eyes shut against the brilliance, feeling her body lift into weightlessness. Though she could not see anything surrounding her, Sellie knew that she was traveling at a phenomenal speed, unnatural for any human.   
  
But where was she traveling to? And what had she gotten herself into?  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *   
  
07.20.2002 Aiyeeee! I am soooo sorry about how long it took to write this chapter… this tiny chapter that took SO LONG! I had a huge writer's block but I kept on working out things in my head. I actually have the entire ending thought out in detail. Alas, that will not come until… uh, the end? I was lucky enough to go to AnimeExpo with my friends and got two Escaflowne animation cels. One of them is from the first episode right after Hitomi smacks the crap out of Van (*snicker*). Plus, ff.n had been on the blitz so I think it is alright now to post.   
  
Chapter title comes from a Cowboy Bebop song called "Walk in the Rain"  
  
As always, please leave the Jigglykat a little something something in the review window so that it will show that she is actually doing something productive and worthwhile. J 


	9. All of Me

Date. 07.27.2002  
Time. 1.30 pm  
Music. "Stress" by Jim's Big Ego  
Chapter 9  
  
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters. Alas, I just don't.  
  
Author's Notes. Well, after that dry spell, I think I have this story rolling again. Since most of my friends decided to be carnies and work at the fair for two weeks, I decided on writing the next installment of the all-action-packed Parvulus de Crepuscid! And also since my Ultimate Edition isn't coming in until next week as well as my DVD boxset, I have nothing better to do. EXCEPT! I'm working on an art project though! Its very exciting! I'm painting a dragon on the bottom of my dad's surfboard. Its one of the ones that he doesn't use anymore so he's letting me put whatever I want! I'm going to take pics eventually so if anyone wants to see it, email me!   
  
BTW, for everyone who was asking what the hell was going on (example: where's Hitomi? What about the dragon?…), things are going to start to make a little bit more sense. I hope at least. This following chapter will hopefully shed some light on those who are in the dark of what is going on (doesn't that sound poetic?)  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 9. All of Me  
  
* * *  
  
Where am I? I do not recognize this place. It seems like something from a multimillion dollar blockbuster movie set. Well, at least like that Indiana Jones trilogy. The temple walls are crumbling, ancient and deteriorating. These walls have seen many battles. Many sacrifices for the gods.   
  
This is all I can see from the tent, which, I figure, was pitched next to one of the walls for protection. I can hear many other sounds. Birds singing, the rustling of tree and bush, a faint cry of some wild cat. We are in a jungle. It is obvious due to the humidity and the mosquitoes flying about. Where I do not see the old stones of the temple, I see green. Everywhere.  
  
I sit up from the cot, the blood rushing to my brain and making me feel dizzy and nauseous. I look down at myself, a lightweight cotton shirt and khaki pants is all I wear. I stand from the makeshift bed and walk outside.   
  
The sky is so clear. I have never seen such a sky that is not polluted with filth. Such a beautiful deep blue. Wherever this place is, it has not been touched by the horrors of modern humanity.   
  
I would think that not knowing where I am would trouble me. But it is the not knowing of *who* I am bothers me even more.  
  
I am aware of what my name is and my family and such… but I know a huge portion of my life has been wiped clean from my mind. Almost as if I shouldn't remember those times in my life for some odd reason.   
  
The young woman who is with me. She knows my name and where I am from. But that is not enough to help me figure out who I am. She tells me that I am an archeologist… ironically, like Indiana Jones… and that we are here on an excavation, but that still does not help.  
  
She is so patient with me, understanding the absence of memories in my mind, and tries to help fill in the blanks. I'm your assistant, that's what I do, she says.   
  
But could it be possible that she could be giving me false information about me?  
  
"Hitomi!" a voice shouted. "There you are!"   
  
Hitomi turned around and lost her train of thought. "Hello," she replied softly.  
  
"What are you doing up? You need rest. We're going deep into the temple tomorrow and looking for the Sacrificial Room." Her assistant took her arm and led her inside of the tent once more.  
  
"I know, I know," she sighed, hesitating on returning to her cot. "But I'm not that tired anymore. Plus, this memory loss thing is driving me insane."  
  
"Shhh… just lie down, Hitomi," she gently pushed her back. "The other workers will be back here in a week with the equipment and they'll help you out. We'll be able to contact someone that can come pick us up for treatment or something, but for now, we have to stay here. So… as long as we are down here, might as well try and solve this temple's secrets."  
  
Hitomi nodded. "But in the meantime… Ashira? Will you help me out?"  
  
Ashira's lips broke into a smile. "What would you like to know?" she asked.  
  
"Well, my life, for starters. How did we meet?"  
  
"Let me see… you were already graduated from your college and started independently working. You knew of some people already in the field that said you could join their group. So you packed your bags and set off to Egypt, where you helped discover the tomb of a long-lost king. This discovery launched your career. You have always said that you've had this 'sixth sense' about things. I am similar to you. I've been your assistant and apprentice for a year now and you said you will help me prove my theory about the Sacrificial Room. You were the only one that believed me."  
  
"Please remind me of your theory once more, Ashira?" Hitomi looked at the young woman. She had to be no older than eighteen years of age. A college student still.  
  
Ashira laughed. "That is a story for another day," she replied. "But seriously, rest for awhile. I need to work some more before we lose the sunlight. Then I'll prepare us something to eat." She stood up and lifted the flap of the tent.  
  
"Ashira?" Hitomi called after her.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
There was a brief moment of silence that made the small enclosure of the tent seem uncomfortable. "Was there any… love in my life that you know of?" she said, staring directly at her finger where two rings were. "I remember this ring… I've seen it before. I think its my grandmother's engagement ring … I'm glad that I can remember something about my life… but this one, I don't recognize." She paused. "Was I married?"  
  
"Once. But your husband is dead. He was murdered."  
  
There was another awkward quietness. "I see." Hitomi replied. "I'll see you later tonight, Ashira. Thank you."  
  
The younger woman closed the flap and walked towards the towering steps before her. "My pleasure," she answered coldly.   
  
* * *  
  
The light had faded, but the glare still remained in Sellie's eyes. She slowly opened them, blinking rapidly so that they would become used to the natural daylight.   
  
And could not believe what she saw.  
  
She was deep inside of a forest, large pine trees climbing beyond the heights and making the view of the sky impossible. Lush green grass and wild flowers carpeted the ground surrounding the thick trunks. A few feet from where she sat was a crystal clear lake, the color of sapphire.   
  
As she stretched out her limbs, it took Sellie a moment that her father no longer lay right next to her.  
  
"Dad!" she jolted upwards, jumping to her feet. The woman that she had met was hovering over him in a section of raised ground three yards from where Sellie had come to. She had already removed his shirt, though his wings where still out, and was gingerly touching around his wound.   
  
"What are you doing to him?" she cried.  
  
"Helping him, my dear child," she replied. She took hold of the sharp glass and pulled it slowly from his side. Van winced and groaned as the shard left the gash.  
  
"Hold his hand, dear," she said, not taking her eyes off the cut. Sellie fell to her knees and took hold of Van's hand. Come on, Dad…  
  
The woman slowly placed her palm on top of the wound and closed her eyes. Sellie's eyes widened as a soft glow emitted from her fingertips. She placed her hand firmly upon his skin. Van's torso expanded as he took in a sharp breath of air. The woman lifted her hand from his side and traced her finger along the wound's edge. Mysteriously, the cut seemed to heal itself. Within seconds, there was no trace that a shard of glass had pierced him.   
  
However, the woman had not reopened her eyes, and she collapsed next to where Van lay.  
  
Sellie rushed to her side. "Are you alright?" she asked urgently.  
  
She nodded her head. "I'm a bit drained. It'll wear off in a minute or so." She pointed her chin at Van. "Go see how he is. He'll be waking up at any second."  
  
She squeezed Sellie's hand and insisted her. She crawled back and knelt besides Van once more.   
  
"Dad?" she whispered.  
  
"Hmm?" he made some sort of noise in his throat and slowly opened his eyes. "Hey…" he said calmly.  
  
Sellie smiled. "How are you feeling?" she asked.  
  
"Fine. Why wouldn't I…" he stopped as he noticed his new surroundings. He climbed to his feet, but staggered with the unbalanced weight of the wings. He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. "I thought it was all a dream."  
  
Sellie helped him retain his balance. "That woman there saved you, Dad. She healed you with the palm of her hand."  
  
Van fell to his knees next to his healer and tried to prop her up. "Gaea!" he exclaimed.  
  
Gaea? Sellie thought. Her name is Gaea? Like as in the Goddess?  
  
"It's all right, dear boy," she said, chuckling a bit. "Just give me a second to regain my ground."  
  
Dear boy? *She's* calling him 'dear boy'? She looks only a couple of years older than I am.  
  
Gaea looked straight at Sellie and smiled. "Van, I believe that your daughter is asking some questions and she needs some answering." She winked at Sellie and plainly said with her eyes "I-know-what-you-were-asking-in-your-mind."  
  
Van sighed and slowly turned around, folding his wings behind his back. "No Van," Gaea spoke forcefully. "This time, you do not hide anything from her."  
  
He nodded slowly and motioned for Sellie to sit down. "Ask me again, Sellie," he said quietly.  
  
"Why do you have wings, Dad?" she asked.  
  
He breathed deeply, then began his answer. "Because I'm a Draconian," he said. "A descendant of Atlantis."  
  
"A Draconian?" she asked, her tone low. "Like the ones in the legends and folktales?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"The ones that destroyed Atlantis and bring terror into the hearts of man?"  
  
"Yes-- I mean, no!" Van stammered. "Draconians aren't evil. Well, most aren't anyway."  
  
"Well, what about Mom? Does she know?"  
  
"Yes, she knows. She is…" he started to mention about Hitomi, but the flood of questioning did not stop there.  
  
"Where's Mom?! Where are we?! Who is *she*?!" Sellie pointed at Gaea, who had managed to lift herself from the ground and folded her hands neatly in front of her. "I don't understand what's…"  
  
"Calm down, Selmé!" he raised his voice. "I'll answer everything… hopefully, but you have to hear everything behind it first."  
  
"He's right, Sellie," Gaea stepped forward. "You must learn the details as well."  
  
"Gaea… is an original Atlantean and is the great-grandmother of Hitomi," Van explained.  
  
"Wait a minute… wasn't Atlantis destroyed like thousands of years ago?" Sellie, once more, interrupted. "How is it possible that you can be my great-great-grandmother? You look like you're only five years older than me. "  
  
"It's because I'm not really alive, dear one," Gaea answered. "My people wanted to create a world where humans could live in harmony and peace. There would be divine happiness and nothing negative. But in order to create such a world, they needed a strong spirit to reside inside and become the spirit of the world. I was only 18 when this occurred, but already dying of a rare disease that had already killed my mother, the High Priestess Elche. My father, being one of the Elders, influenced his other associates that I would be the one chosen for this. So, with the force and will of all of my family, my friends, and my kin, Atlantis was destroyed and this world was created. I am neither dead nor alive, but more like both."  
  
"Ohhhh-kay," Sellie said, though she seemed to stretch out the "oh" rather long as if she didn't believe her. "So if you're an Atlantean, who are the ancestors of Draconians… and related to Mom… does that mean that Mom also has wings?"  
  
"Yes," Van replied. "But she didn't know of them until 13 years ago."  
  
"What do you mean? Was that when she was visiting on the Mystic Moon before she returned home to Gaea?"  
  
"Not exactly." My gods, Van thought. This is going to take awhile.   
  
"You see, Hitomi is actually *from* the Mystic Moon. She was born there, not here. Gaea had blessed a couple there with a child, but she was actually born looking like Gaea. Hence, your mother's and your green eyes. That was your great-grandmother. She had a daughter… your grandmother… and she had Hitomi. But when Hitomi and I were 15 years old, we met each other on what we thought was an accident. I had to slay a land-dragon for the rites in becoming king and we were transported to the Mystic Moon. Hitomi was there with two of her friends, practicing her running. I killed the dragon, removed its energist, and was transported back to Gaea, but with Hitomi along with me. I thought it was kind of strange at the beginning: she was the only one I could understand, though she insisted she was speaking the same language that they were.   
  
"She was pulled into our world that she had no idea existed, but somehow, she played a major part of it. She had this power that allowed her to see the future through visions. I wanted to use her to predict what Zaibach forces were going to do next, but I was young and stupid and I didn't know any better. I kept driving her away and into the arms of Allen.  
  
"But we realized that Hitomi's coming to Gaea was no accident. We were linked together: I could feel her pain and she could feel mine. I knew in my heart that we were meant for each other. Once Zaibach was defeated, I wanted Hitomi to stay with me and help rule Fanelia. But we were 15 and still too young. Hitomi returned to the Mystic Moon but our link to one another remained."  
  
"Mom returned again right?" Sellie asked. "I mean, she had to have, to marry you and have me."  
  
"Yes, she returned. We lost our contact after a few years because we took it for granted. Then, for reasons unknown…" Van looked over at Gaea quickly to alert her that he knew the reason. "She came back. I hoped it would be for good, that she had wanted to be back, but it was to fulfill a prophecy about the Power of Atlantis. She was to receive it. However, there was another person who wanted it: Ashira."  
  
"Ashira?"  
  
"Another Draconian, though she fits the description of the evil type. She sought after us and took Hitomi and the pendant…"  
  
"Pendant? You mean, *this* pendant?" Sellie lifted the stone from underneath her clothing.  
  
"Yes, that necklace was from Atlantis. It was Gaea's originally. But I found Hitomi and we found refuge with Gaea. That's when Hitomi found out about her destiny and her ancestry. She had a decision to make: stay on Gaea and maintain the Power of Atlantis within her, or return to the Mystic Moon and forget everything about us. A while afterwards, she decided to stay here, so I asked her to marry me. We went to the island of Gahwindahn off the coast of Palas with a escort from Dryden…"  
  
"Dryden and Millerna know about you and Mom?"   
  
"What? Of what we are? Yeah, they know. But we were intercepted by Ashira and the re-established Zaibach Empire. I guess that when the Power of Atlantis was supposed to strike the Chosen One, being Hitomi, it struck both she and Ashira, distributing the Power to each of them. They fought one another, but Hitomi beat her, leaving her in this psychic enclosure. Ever since then, peace has been with our world until now."  
  
"So what happened to Mom?"  
  
"Ashira has broken from her cell… it must have been recently, she hasn't aged a day. She still looks like she's 18. She grabbed hold of Hitomi just before you arrived and took her somewhere. I can't… I can't trace her along the link that we have. Its been severed."  
  
Van hung his head low, hiding his eyes away from his daughter. Gaea rubbed his shoulder. "Everything that Van has told you is true, Sellie. But he did leave out some vital information that he did not know.  
  
"You see, at the moment that Hitomi received the Power of Atlantis, she was pregnant with you. Somehow, this made her unable to conceive any more children after you, but it made you even more special. You were also born with a portion of the Power. Ashira thinks that the Power is split between only her and Hitomi; she does not know about you, so we now have the upper hand."  
  
"How does this make things better?" Van asked gradually. "We don't know where they are."  
  
"It makes things a little better because only Sellie is the one who can sense where Hitomi is."  
  
"How will that work?!" Van raised his voice. "Even *I* can't sense where she is!"  
  
"Calm down, Van," Gaea said coolly. "Though you may think that you and Hitomi are bonded together deeply, she and Sellie are bonded even deeper: blood. Hitomi carried her daughter for nine colors. I can sense Hitomi as well, but Sellie has a better connection with her because they are closer."  
  
Sellie listened to what the two older people (or rather, person and spirit) were saying to one another, but her mind was working overtime, trying to figure facts out. It finally went back to on the Myriad.  
  
"Wait a minute," she said, her eyes scanning unseen notes set before her. "When Quidam kissed me, he whispered something into my ear… that Mom went home."  
  
"Home? Like to Fanelia?"  
  
"I don't think so. You said earlier that she's from the Mystic Moon. What if she went back there?"  
  
Van shook his head. "Not possible. She can't go back there. When she received the Power of Atlantis, the gateway between our world and theirs was closed. So, no more pillars of light."  
  
"Van," Gaea said softly. "That's not entirely accurate."  
  
He turned around and looked at the shorter woman (Sellie had noticed she was taller than Gaea and she was only 13). "What do you mean?" he inquired.  
  
"There are other ways of going to the Mystic Moon, Van," she said. "Remember when you went to bring her back? You and Escaflowne turned into pure energy because of your will and determination to find her. Those emotions reacted with the dragon energist and sent you."  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"If I made it sound that you could not get to the Mystic Moon, you would not try."  
  
Van was shocked. "Why would you do something like that?" he asked.  
  
Gaea sighed. "Now since the Power of Atlantis has been released, it needs to stay here in order for the peace to endure. I had to make sure that Hitomi would stay here so that war would not break out and that this world would remain healthy."  
  
"You mean… Hitomi had to say good-bye to her family, to her friends, and tell them that she would never see them again! Now you're telling me that she can see them?" Van said furiously.  
  
"Have you not noticed that I am weaker now, Van?" Gaea said, her eyes staring straight into his. "Ask Sellie: when I healed you, I had to take recovery time so I could regain my energy. Even now, I feel this world slowly dying. It will be a matter of days, maybe a week or two, before the end of Gaea will become real."  
  
He remained silent, still fuming, but trying to relax himself. "So where on the Mystic Moon is she?" he asked, keeping his temper to a minimum.  
  
"If Ashira has her, then I believe I may know where. There was an ancient tribe of natives that lived deep in the rainforest." As she spoke, she waved her hand over the water. Their reflection faded away to a foreign geographic picture of the continent. "But I don't know if it was Central America or South…" she muttered, almost to herself.  
  
"They were a primitive people, but made a prophecy of a great power that could conquer the world. They were stargazers and were able to map out a calendar system that was surprising accurate, judging their lack of technology. The calendar they created is still used to this day over the world.  
  
"Their prophecy predicted that on the date… the *last* day on their calendar… was the modern-day May 12, 2016, that this power in the form of a single person would come to their temple and destroy the Earth. It will destroy our world as well."  
  
"And…"  
  
"That date takes place five days from now."  
  
* * *  
  
"Captain, we are elevated enough to turn into the direction you wanted to go," Reeden reported.  
  
"Good," Allen replied.  
  
There was a silence. "Uh, Boss? Where are we going?"  
  
"I have absolutely no idea."  
  
The bridge was only occupied with Allen, Reeden, Gaddes, a few other crew members, and Rouen. His parents were in one of the chambers, along with a few of their personal guards. Celena was somewhere else.  
  
They had managed to lift off without much hassle. The Crusade was prepared to leave right as Dryden and Millerna were leaving the Palace. A few of Tarn's men took notice of the engine and followed them. Allen leapt out along with some of his one and protected the royal couple. They boarded the Crusade without barely any violence.  
  
Now to follow Hitomi, Van, and Sellie.  
  
"How are we going to find them if we have no idea where they are?"  
  
"Good question."  
  
The bridge door swung open and Celena walked in, completely dressed in her riding breeches and linen shirt.  
  
"Brother, may I have a word with you outside in private?" she asked urgently.  
  
"Not now, Celena. Can't you see I'm working." He made no movement, but stared ahead.  
  
"Fine, then we'll just do it here… in front of everyone else."  
  
"What do you want, Sister?"  
  
She grew angry. "You know what I want."  
  
"To what? Say that it is alright for sneaking around my back? Sure, fine… its all better now."  
  
"That's not what I meant."  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"I want you to accept us, Allen." She walked over to Gaddes and wrapped an arm around his torso. "You want me to be this lady that you know I am not and can never be. I am a member of this crew and I am in love with a member of this crew."  
  
"We will discuss this later, Celena," Allen replied coldly and turned back to the panel.  
  
"We've been together for three years now, Allen," Gaddes spoke without the formality of calling him "Captain" or "Boss." "I was going to sit down and talk to you after we had gotten back to Asturia, explain everything to you." He paused. "I was going to ask you for her hand in marriage…"  
  
Allen shot him a look in surprise. So did Celena.  
  
"…but I can see that I am such a low-life and scum that I am not worthy to touch your sister. Maybe I'm not even worthy enough to be on this crew."  
  
"Gaddes… I didn't mean that…"  
  
"Boss! C'mere!"  
  
Reeden shouted over the loud beeping emitting from his panel. Allen rushed over along with Gaddes.  
  
"What is it?" Allen asked.  
  
"It's the Crusade! She's pullin' towards the north!"  
  
"What do you mean… 'pulling'?" Gaddes inquired.  
  
"I've seen it before…" Kio shouted from his position at the wheel "She moves a couple degrees left or right due to wind shift and other weather conditions. But she just pulled a 47 degree change to the north and there aren't any weather problems!" He could not stop shaking. "It's like she *wants* us to go this way."  
  
Allen rubbed his chin. "Yes… maybe she does…" he murmured under his breath.  
  
"Captain?"  
  
"Kio, stay on this course," he commanded.  
  
"Boss, are you sure about this? This could take us entirely out of the…" Gaddes pointed out.  
  
"Don't worry… I know what I'm doing. This feels… right." Allen glanced over at his Second-in-Command and sister. "I promise both of you, we will discuss later on."  
  
He stood back in front and stared out the window. Gods, I hope this is the direction where my friends have gone… he prayed silently. Please lead us to them.  
  
* * *  
  
"Five days?!" Sellie yelled. "Gaea will be destroyed in *five days*?!"   
  
"It will be… at least, its been destined to be destroyed," Gaea replied calmly.  
  
"What do you mean… 'destined'?" Van asked.  
  
"You of all people should know about destiny, Van. Do you remember when I told you and Hitomi about the difference between fate and free will?" she touched his knee.  
  
"Yes."  
  
She patted his knee. "You can change this fate… or, rather, *she* can." She gestured to Sellie.  
  
"Who? Me?"  
  
"Yes, you… little one."  
  
"Why me? I'm not special enough," Sellie retorted.   
  
Gaea laughed. "Please! You have inherited the blood of Atlantis… there is nothing more special than that. Besides, you're the only one that can actually perform such a task."  
  
Van shook his head. "No… no… no!" he said furiously. "I know where this is leading. She is *not* coming with me to the Mystic Moon. Its too dangerous for her to go."  
  
"And its too dangerous for you if she doesn't, Van," Gaea said firmly. "You have said it yourself: she has an ability about her that makes it impossible for others, namely, Hitomi and Ashira, to sense her position and those close in proximity to her. If you go to the Mystic Moon, Ashira will know the moment you have arrived. And there is no telling what she will do to you if she finds you. Your best bet is Sellie."  
  
Van quickly stood up, silent but fuming, and picked up his shredded shirt. He withdrew his wings without thought and pulled the shirt over his head. Sellie gasped as his wings disappeared into his back with a whirl of white feathers.  
  
"Besides, you will not be alone when you go," Gaea continued, placing a hand on his back and mended the large hole in his shirt. "Your friends will volunteer themselves to aide you. And, you will have another source of help… who should be coming here any moment now." She stopped speaking and closed her eyes.  
  
The silence of the forest made small vibrations seem to be clamorous. Sellie saw the ripples from the waters edge, almost as if something was coming from beneath.  
  
Suddenly, the lake's surface broke with a tremendous spray. An enormous shadowed head lifted above them and looked down. As the mist deteriorated, Sellie recognized the beast.  
  
"Dralion!" she cried.  
  
"A flying-dragon?" Van murmured as he moved towards Sellie. "I thought they were all extinct… Stay back, Sellie! These are the most dangerous types of dragons!" His hand went to his side where he would normally wear his royal sword. Unfortunately, he left it with everything else in his rooms in Cassia.  
  
* We are the most dangerous if we are irritated so. However, I am not so easily swayed to the point that I want to eat thee humans as are my cousins that dwell on the sea and the land, * Dralion answered.  
  
"Dragons don't talk," Van said in awe, his mouth hanging slightly open.  
  
* Thee just heard me, cousin! And thee stand there not believing that I am real. Ask thee daughter to see if I am real. *  
  
"Dad, he's real. That's who I was talking to in Cassia last night in the woods. He told me this whole story about himself," Sellie touched Van's shoulder. Her simple contact made him able to calm down a bit. "He is the last flying-dragon on Gaea."  
  
"Dralion has been a friend of mine for thousands of years," Gaea explained. "His fate has been linked to Sellie's, so it is his destiny to join your group."  
  
"Dralion was born with two hearts, Dad," Sellie added. "He gave up one of them to be the energist in Escaflowne."  
  
* And my twinned soul is the ancestor of thee, young King * Dralion finished.  
  
Van shook his head and chuckled to himself. "Sure, why not? Stranger things have happened."  
  
Gaea stood up from where she was sitting. "You have precious little time. You must return to Cassia in order to find out exactly where Ashira has taken Hitomi. I will find you and help you go to Earth. Then, you must return to Fanelia and use the energist that your mother gave you, Van. Once you get there, it will be out of my power and in Sellie's hands." She paused. "Maybe you should try and help her out with 'dousing,' as Hitomi calls it. Maybe help her out with… *other* things as well."  
  
"Like wha…" Sellie began, but never finished her thought as Gaea continued.  
  
"Your friends are about 20 miles away from here. I pulled their ship in this direction as soon as they took off to chase after you. They also are hidden from other ships flying near them. I would suggest that you would fly to them, but I don't want to wear you out. Dralion, do you mind?"  
  
* Not at all, Lady * Dralion replied and laid down his head upon the shore. Sellie walked over and swung her leg over in the crook of his neck, settling herself in. Van hesitated.  
  
"Come on, Dad," she said. "We're off to save Mom and both our worlds, remember?"  
  
He nodded and climbed on directly in front his daughter. As soon as he was set, Dralion cautiously lifted himself from the lake and spread his dark red leathery wings. He flapped them enough so that he hovered over Gaea.   
  
"Remember that you are on a timeframe! Don't get carried away!" she cried. With those last words, she disappeared into the forest.  
  
Dralion's deepened his beats and flew upwards. Van clung to his scales with Sellie's arms wrapped around his waist. Higher and higher, he climbed into the sky towards the bright light above. Soon, Sellie was not able to see anything around her: just white.   
  
The rain had finally stopped in the desert above, but it was still gray and gloomy. At the exact spot where Van had landed and fainted, the familiar pillar of light broke the surface of the sand. But instead of something landing from the sky, Dralion flew from below the ground and into the hazy sky. Sellie blinked and identified her surroundings from before as they flew with strong strides back towards Cassia and their too-near futures.  
  
To be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
This was the best chapter to write!!! Seriously! Joke's over! From the previous chapter, which took 2 months, to this one, that took a week. And I wrote 7 pages in one day also, may I point out. I did have to take a little break when both my Ultimate Edition movie DVD and the Perfect Vision boxset came in. EXCEPT! My movie would have to be a part of the 5% that was dysfunctional and I couldn't get past chapter 12! GASP. My friend John bought one that was fine so we had this huge party last night. He had one of those 3000 dollar digital projectors so we watched it on a wall with a full-on sound system complete with sub-woofer! MY GOD! It was soooo good! Hahaha. I must say that I am not a fan of the dub (I like the real thing), but the English in the movie didn't really bother me. I just hate it when they say Lord Folken or Lord Van or Lord Dilandau to fill in with the lip sync. There is one spot at the end that REALLY bugged me because Hitomi of all people did it!! AAAAHHH!   
  
BTW, if anyone had noticed, I did a reference to the Escaflowne movie in the previous chapter. Can you guess?   
  
Also, I do know that it was the Mayans (I think, gotta watch X-files again to make sure of that) that made their calendars so accurately, but the last date on that calendar was December 22, 2012. I really wanted to use that so it would work better, but unfortunately it wouldn't have fit with the ages and such.  
  
I have an Atlantis book that says that there was a statue called the "Lady of Elche." I added it.  
  
I think my life is complete.  
  
Chapter title comes from the movie "All of Me." I don't know why I chose it. It sounded right because Van was explaining to Sellie all of the secrets about himself that he had kept hidden for so long. 


	10. Flying Without Wings

Date. 08.11.2002  
Time. 12.11 am  
Music. None, watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail  
Chapter 10  
  
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters.  
  
Author's Notes. Well, I'm going to try and write one more chapter before I have to go back to school in the South. That way, I did about a chapter a month or so. The summer is slowly coming to an end. My friends are already leaving for school in a week. So sad.   
  
***IMPORTANT NOTICE*** In the last chapter, Gaea mentions that the day when both worlds end happens in 5 days. I worked it out in my head that night, so its totally wrong. From that point, the destruction begins 4 days instead of 5. Perilous doom is coming!  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 10. Flying Without Wings  
  
* * *  
  
Sellie quickly learned that riding a flying-dragon was almost as comfortable as being dragged by a horse. Besides Dralion's colossal wing-muscles rippling underneath while beating directly behind her, she sat wedged between the crests on his ridged back. She clung tightly onto Van, but he spoke no words to her. His eyes were set straight ahead, his mouth in a tight grimace. There were so many things that she wanted to say, to scream, to shout, and to cry, but this did not seem like the time.  
  
The down pour of rain had finally stopped, but the dark clouds still held together. The faint smell of electricity hanging in the air, threatening the possibility of thunder and lightning.   
  
Her mind went back over all the information she had just received in her brief visitation in Gaea's secret wooded lair. Her parents were both Draconians… her mother held within her the Power of Atlantis as she did… and now they had to go to the Mystic Moon and rescue her before this Power consumed both their world and this one. But what do I have to do exactly *once* I get there?  
  
Gods… she sighed mentally. My whole life has been a lie. One big fat lie.  
  
There was more deafening silence as they traversed on for another twenty minutes, but suddenly, Van tensed.  
  
"Is that… the Crusade?" he murmured.  
  
"The Crusade? Where?" Sellie asked, scanning the clouds. She could hear the distant engine of the leviship, but she could not see it anywhere.  
  
"There," Van pointed to the left. Sellie followed his finger and saw the Crusade cut through the vaporous gloom and appear before them.  
  
"Dralion, these are our friends," he shouted up to the dragon. "Could you fly closer?"  
  
"Ummm… Dad?" Sellie asked. "Are you sure you want to do that?"  
  
"Yes… why wouldn't I?" Van replied quickly, almost in an exasperated manner. "I'm sure Dralion did not want to carry us the entire way back to Cassia."  
  
"Yeah… but I'm not sure what the guys are going to think when a huge flying-dragon is heading straight towards them." she said matter-of-factly.  
  
* * *  
  
Silence had overcome the bridge of the Crusade for multiple hours now. Allen stood in front of the helm by the windows, his arms firmly across his chest. He remained in this pose for almost the entire trip as members of the crew puttered around him, his eyes vacant as he thought deeply.   
  
Gaddes stood at his post, shooting looks at Allen every now and then. Celena would walk in and out of the bridge room, trying to do something that would occupy her mind with mindless work. At this point, she remained inside the room and leaned against the cushioned bench. She muffled a yawn and shook her head of it. Millerna had also joined the group, but Dryden stayed within his chambers. Rouen sat by her side, glancing up at his mother with worried looks.  
  
A loud beeping emitted from Reeden's station. Allen blinked, but did not move towards the direction of the sound.   
  
"What is it, Reeden?" he simply asked.  
  
"It looks like something is in the area, Boss," he replied, lifting his head from the screen. "Something big."  
  
"Leviship?"  
  
"No… it doesn't look like it… I don't think it's a machine… I think it's alive," he muttered.  
  
There was more silence. "Like a flock of birds?" Allen asked, finally turning around and looking in his direction.  
  
"No… it's bigger than that… and it's just one big thing."  
  
Hmmm… Allen thought. What could it…  
  
"Boss! It's coming this way!" Reeden shouted.  
  
The Knight returned his gaze back to the window and stared ahead. Gaddes, Celena, and a few crew members joined him and watched the skies for any sign of movement.  
  
"Standby for interception!" Reeden announced.  
  
Still, no sight of anything. Silence filled the chamber, the wait driving everyone insane.  
  
"Damn weather makes everything impossible to see," Katz muttered.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Celena saw a flash of motion. "There! What was that?" she asked, pointing to her right.  
  
Her question went unreturned as the answer flew directly towards them in clear view. She saw the flash of dark red scales as the massive beast broke through the clouds.  
  
"My gods…" she breathed, bringing her hand to her mouth. "It's a dragon…"  
  
"That's not just a dragon… it's a flying one!" Millerna added.   
  
"I thought those type were extinct," Rouen spoke.  
  
Allen remained silent as his keen blue eyes watched the dragon fly about the Crusade. "Why doesn't he attack us?" he murmured to himself.  
  
"What, Brother?"  
  
He shook his head. "Look, flying-dragons have been known to be very aggressive according to the texts… no matter if we attack first or not," he explained. "This one has made no advance to make an attack towards us. Why?"  
  
"It's carrying someone!" Reeden shouted from his spy-glass. "There! A person! On its back!"  
  
Rouen had a gut instinct as soon as Reeden said there was a person involved. He took the glass away from the Crusade member and took a look for himself. As he peered into it, he took a deep breath and held it. "Gods! It's Sellie!" he exhaled.  
  
"What?" Celena asked in shock. "I don't believe it! I thought we'd be looking for the Myriad."  
  
"If that's Sellie… then where's…"  
  
Allen's last remark was interrupted by a loud rapping on the window. The remaining people on deck turned around to see Van on the outside of the Crusade's front panes, clinging onto the metal panels. His white Draconian wings were folded behind him, but feathers were flying about him. He was waving madly.  
  
Rouen gasped. "Van's got wings?" he asked. Millerna looked sad, but nodded.  
  
Celena rushed to the window and placed her palms against the glass. His face was dismal and full of weariness as he motioned downwards. Then he pushed himself from the ledge and dove towards the ground below. The dragon followed him and disappeared underneath the clouds.  
  
"Van wants us to land," she announced.   
  
"Land? With a flying-dragon around?" Teo asked. "Are you crazy? Those are rumored to be the most dangerous of the species!"  
  
"I think there's something different about *that* one," she quickly snapped back. "Why would Van go flying about with it around? Even that, why would he let his only daughter on its back?"  
  
Allen stared at her and smiled. "I believe you. Prepare to land!"  
  
* * *  
  
Van had already retracted his wings and was helping Sellie dismount Dralion as the Crusade slowly hovered above the desert floor in landing. The large dragon settled himself and lifted his head towards the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. * It has been ages since I have seen the Great Star, * he said, closing his lids and basking in the light. * It feels so warm and wonderful against my scales. *  
  
"Dralion, I'm not sure on how my friends are going to react to you," Van said. "Just to warn you."  
  
* I take thee warning to full extent, cousin, * he replied. * I am aware. *  
  
Sellie remained by Dralion's side as Van went to meet the running crew members. Celena wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Gods, are you alright? Did that bastard do anything to you or Sellie or Hitomi? Why is there a dragon with you? Where is Hitomi?"  
  
Van grimaced at the moment that Hitomi's name left her lips. Celena soon realized her mistake.  
  
She backed off of him and touched his shoulder. "Van, where is Hitomi?" she repeated.  
  
"It was Ashira. Ashira has Hitomi," he said slowly.  
  
"Ashira?" Gaddes asked. "I thought Hitomi got rid of her at Gahwindahn."  
  
"So did I," Van growled. "But Tarn held us captive and she took Hitomi and they disappeared in a bright light. Then he took us to the desert to us behind and die… and…"  
  
"Van," Celena interrupted, glancing behind him. "You've told Sellie everything, haven't you?"  
  
His mouth remained open in mid-sentence, then he slowly nodded. "I had to… she saw… we fell from the Myriad and… I had no other choice."  
  
"How is she taking it?" Millerna asked.  
  
"Fairly well… I guess. She was really quiet up until we found you all." He paused, trying to sort out his next words. "I'm going to need your help, Allen. I need to get Hitomi back, but I can't do it by myself." It was difficult to say that last sentence. His shoulders drooped as he held his head low.  
  
"I will help you, Van," Allen said, his mouth set in a straight line. "For Hitomi's sake."  
  
"I am too," Celena's voice rang in.   
  
"So am I," Gaddes agreed.  
  
A chorus of positive "ayes" joined the group from the remaining members of the Crusade. Van could not help and force a smile as his rescue team continued to grow with full on support. He looked over in Sellie's direction, but the girl had stayed next to Dralion and sat against his foreleg. He also noticed Rouen walking towards her.  
  
"Rouen! Get back here!" Millerna shouted after her son, but Van grabbed her arm.   
  
"Don't worry, he's a friend of ours," he explained.  
  
"You sure pick out the odd ones, don't you, Van?" Celena said, crossing her arms. "I hope that on our flight back to Asturia and Fanelia, you'll be able to clarify some things."   
  
"No, we have to go back to Cassia… I need to get a hold of Tarn and find out about Hitomi's location on the Mystic Moon!" Van spoke quickly.  
  
Celena's arms dropped to her sides. "Wait a minute… Hitomi's on the Mystic Moon? You never said anything about the Mystic Moon!"  
  
"You're not scared, are you?"  
  
She snorted. "Of course not! I just thought that… Hitomi wasn't able to return to her home there."  
  
"So did I… but I'll explain more when we go back onto the ship," Van said.  
  
As the adults spoke of their next action and questioned Van of his wife, Rouen had approached Sellie and the dragon. He stopped about thirty feet away from the creature.  
  
"I've never seen a real dragon before," he whispered.  
  
A loud chuckling broke the silence. * I have never seen many things in my life, dear lad, but still I believe in them, * the dragon said directly to him. * Thee should not dismiss things that they do not really exist. It is an insult. *  
  
"Gods, it can talk?" he gasped, then bowed before the great beast, remembering his studies in different cultures' religions . "Dragonlord, I am sorry. I didn't mean to insult you or anything. I am Rouen Fassa Aston of Asturia. Please see it fit not to condemn me to death."  
  
* Death? Dear boy, do thee think that I will eat thee? * Dralion asked, chuckling. Sellie tried to muffle her slight giggling. * I do not eat the friends of Selmé Rynna. And thee are far too young to be so formal. Thee may call me 'Dralion'. *  
  
Sellie stood from where she was sitting and helped Rouen to his feet. "Rouen, what are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
He coughed. "I've come to rescue you," he said, laughing a bit at the end. "You're my friend, Sellie." He held his breath. "You know I would do anything for you."  
  
Sellie's eyes widened and dropped his hands. Do anything for me? she thought. Is he saying what I think he is saying?  
  
"Rouen! Sellie! We're leaving!"  
  
Sellie sighed at the sound of her father's voice. Rouen had been acting so odd lately… and although she didn't mind her friend's company, she did not know how she would be able to handle this new complication.  
  
That someone actually *liked* her.  
  
Rouen lowered his head and headed back for the Crusade as Van hurried over to her. He briefly looked at the boy, then at his daughter.  
  
"Didn't you hear me, Sellie?" he asked, a touch of annoyance in his voice. "We're leaving. We have a long flight ahead of us and then we still have to go back to Fanelia. We're on a schedule and…"  
  
"I heard you," she replied quietly. She then lifted her face to Dralion's and pet his forearm. "You'll fly behind the Crusade, won't you?"  
  
* Aye, little one. *  
  
"We'll stop just before we reach the Cassian palace to figure out a plan of attack," Van said, placing a hand on top of Sellie's shoulder. She shrugged it off and ran back to the leviship, bursting into tears. Van watched after her, hurt.  
  
"What's with her?" he asked himself aloud.  
  
* I believe that the child is confused, * Dralion mused. * Thee and the Lady have just opened her eyes to a brand new world of possibilities, and now she does not know where she stands in this world. *  
  
Van remained silent, thinking of what he should do. "I am lost too," he spoke. "Hitomi and I had always planned that when the time to tell her had come, that we would sit down like a family and tell her. I hadn't counted on this happening." He clenched his fist. "I should have known better. Hitomi's been a target ever since she was first here."  
  
* How can thee know the future, cousin? It is to remain mysterious and unknown until it becomes the present. True, that thee mate Sees the near future… but it can still be changed. *  
  
Van rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Thank you, Dralion. I'll let you know if any plans change." He returned to the ship.  
  
* Aye, young King. *  
  
* * *  
  
It is amazing to think that you can change a person's entire belief structure and way of life through a simple act of amnesia. I still can sense her actual behavior buried in her new routine of life. If only it were so easy to erase enemies' minds and form them into whatever you want.  
  
I guess that is what happened to the experiment labeled "Dilandau." A kidnapped female child altered with science and magic and transformed into the ultimate soldier. The Sorcerers had said that he was "glitched" and could remember flashbacks of his former life.   
  
Observing the life here on the Mystic Moon is interesting. An ordinary day could perplex any Gaean. Luckily, I only needed to figure out what I needed to learn and know within a few colors in order to make sure that this day would work. Thirteen years stuck in solitary confinement has not slowed me down at all. I thought of plans… I remembered information that I had learned through Zaibach. And, with my newfound power, it makes it so much easier.  
  
The Mystic Moon people are no demons as the legends say, nor are they gods. They are normal humans that have more technology at their fingertips than the richest kings in Gaea have in a lifetime. Even Zaibach is shadowed in their advancement. Their daily lives are so fast-paced, I don't even know how it could be possible to do so many things in one day.   
  
I still can't sense the other half of the Power inside of Hitomi Kanzaki, but I know it is there. Why does it not react when I am near? Shouldn't it? She has shown no change as to sensing the Power within myself… but nevertheless, she could be faking it. Perhaps I should make it known to her about its potential so that when the time comes in the temple, there will be no resistance.  
  
She will no longer stay inside of the tent, so I allow her to scavenge for artifacts or whatever. It was the only profession that I could find that would make it normal to be out in a jungle environment. She seems all eager for it.   
  
I have not received notice from Tarn that his task has been fulfilled with Van. I can only feed her lies so much. What if he figures out where I took her? He only needs to fly in here and touch her or something and she'll get all her memories back.  
  
I took one of those CB radios that I have seen here on the Mystic Moon, or rather… 'Earth', and with my experience with technology working with Zaibach, have managed to link to Tarn on Gaea. It works, somehow, though the distance is so great. I don't understand it.  
  
Gods, I don't know how much long I can last her with this sweetness that is oozing out of that whore. Sekhmet always said that I had so much anger towards her. I do not know why that's so wrong.   
  
Oh great, she's asking me another question about herself. I somehow got a glimpse into her life from when she lived here on Earth, almost reading her mind, so I answer almost as truthfully as I can. She said that when she was sleeping, she kept on getting flashes of something. It sounded like Gaea. I told her that it was probably nothing. I need to figure something out so that she will not remember Gaea at all.  
  
I could not believe my luck when she didn't know what Gaea was. The Sorcerers used the selective memory technique on some test subjects, maybe this is what happened to her. Something so significant in her life and its gone within the blink of an eye. I'm glad that most of my work was done for me. According to my research, all I have to do is make sure that she is with me inside of the temple's Sacrificial circle at dawn four days from now.  
  
And then all of the Power of Atlantis will be mine as will the world.  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
Whooo! So this chapter and the next one were originally going to be one long one but I decided to cut it into two shorter ones. Sorry this one is so short but maybe that way, I can boost up the reviews! The next chapter will be out maybe before next Friday. It depends on how much I can touch up and how much time I have. I'm leaving to go back to school this week and I need to pack all my clothes… but more importantly, my Escaflowne DVDs!   
  
Chapter title comes from the song "Flying Without Wings" by Westlife. Yes, I have to say that one of my secret pleasures is the category named "pop music." Besides, I love the lyrics to this song. 


	11. A Moment Like This

Date. 09.01.2002  
Time. 1.24 pm  
Music. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Nikki French  
Chapter 11  
  
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters, just those that I have created.  
  
Author's Notes. SO! I have to mention this because I am SO proud. Since everyone has vamoosed off to college, I have been spending every day with my friends Kristin and Ninni. They wanted me to start watching soap operas with them, so we made this deal: for every episode of Port Charles that I watch, they have to watch an episode of Escaflowne. But they ended up watching the entire series within 3 days! One day with 10 episodes and the other with 11! They were stallions! I am so proud of them! I can watch the whole series straight, but that feat has definitely put them in the Escaflowne Club.  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 11. A Moment Like This  
  
* * *   
  
Sellie was aware that others also knew of her father's heritage, and therefore, they also must have known of this secret that had been kept from her until now. She noticed, too, as she boarded the Crusade that sorrowful eyes followed her every which way. Gaddes and several other members offered her food and water and asked if she was alright. She thought that they were just sympathetic. Even when she was in her private chamber, a knock would interrupt her thoughts every five minutes. She sought solitude.  
  
And the only solitude she could find was inside of the Guymelef hanger in the back of the ship.  
  
As she walked across the cool metal floor with her bare feet, she could see the tips of Dralion's leathery wings each time he beat them as he flew slowly behind. Could he read her mind and hear her thoughts within this ship? She hoped not. She just wanted to escape from her new-found life for a little while. Or maybe longer than that.   
  
She leaned against the far wall and slouch into a sitting position. She folded her arms across her knees and lowered her head into them, hair spilling forward. She could feel her hot tears seeping out of her shut lids.  
  
I feel so alone…  
  
"I believe that you may feel many things right now, but I know that you are definitely *not* alone, dear heart."  
  
Sellie lifted her head quickly as soon as the first words were spoken. She rubbed her eyes to see a middle-aged woman standing before her in what looked like Fanelian fashion. Her long, straight, dark hair flowed behind her as she held her hands folded in front.  
  
"Who are you?" Sellie asked. "I've never seen you before on the Crusade. Are you new?"  
  
The woman smiled slightly. "No, not really. I may be new to you, but I certainly have been around for a long time."  
  
"Huh? I'm… not really… sure of what you…"  
  
"Sellie, I'm your grandmother."  
  
Sellie still remained sitting, but her eyes changed from teary to confused. "So… you're my grandmother… meaning that you're my mother's mother… right?"  
  
The woman shook her head slowly. "My name is Varie," she said. "Varie Fanel."  
  
"Fanel? But that means… that you're a…" Sellie jumped to her feet. "Oh my gods!"  
  
A hand rested on her left shoulder and squeezed slightly. She whipped her head around to see a young man with light-colored hair falling into his face. He had the same eyes as her father.  
  
"Where'd you come from?!" she screamed.  
  
"Sshhh… you wanted peace and quiet didn't you?" he said in a rich voice. "If you keep on screaming like that, everyone's going to know where you are."  
  
Her eyes were wide with fear as she returned to her seat. "Who are you?" she quivered.   
  
The man smiled as he walked over to Varie. "Folken," he replied.  
  
Sellie didn't move for a moment or two, but she finally lifted her hand to her forehead. "Gods…" she whispered.   
  
Varie walked to her and kneeled before her. "Sellie, do not be afraid of us. We are, after all, family." She took Sellie's hand away from her forehead and held it with both of her hands. "Folken and I have watched over you and Van and Hitomi for years. We mean no harm."  
  
Sellie looked up into her mahogany eyes with wonder. Those eyes matched her father's. At the touch of her hand, she felt a tingly sensation within her heart. The same feeling that she had felt with Dralion: trust. Varie's hands weren't what she expected from a spirit. They were warm and comforting, not cold and ghostlike. And that she could actually *feel* them gave her some assurance.  
  
"Why are you here?" she whispered.   
  
Varie stood up and helped her up to her feet. "Well, you are running out of time, my dear," she said. "You have to go find and rescue your mother within four days and you have just discovered this whole other side to yourself that you must master within those four days." She looked over at Folken. "My son and I are going to…just help you open your eyes to all these new possibilities that you would not have imagined."  
  
Sellie lost her patience that she had been holding back for so long. "I don't want to 'imagine' these new 'possibilities' Grandmother! I don't want to be this prophesized person that I'll save both this world and the Mystic Moon! Yesterday, I was living my normal life: as a princess. Even that, I have way too many responsibilities! I don't want to have the Power of Atlantis! I don't want to be talking to spirits of worlds and ghosts! I don't even want to be a princess! I just want to me!"  
  
She collapsed to her knees, hugging herself as sobs racked her small frame. She felt a strong hand rubbing her back to comfort her.  
  
"Nobody is asking you to be a completely different person, Sellie," Folken whispered into her ear so only she could hear. "You have been and always will be Selmé Rynna de Fanel. That is who you are. No one can take that away from you, not even Gaea. Just be this as well." He paused. "Think of this as a special talent, like sword-fighting or horseback riding. Just a little more special then that."   
  
He kissed her forehead and looked into her glistening eyes. "Will you be this as well?" he asked softly.  
  
She inhaled deeply, then gave him a nod, wiping away her excess tears. "What must I do?" she asked.  
  
"Here… take my hand," he said, giving her an open palm. She immediately took it with her own and they both stood to meet Varie. She, too, greeted Sellie with a hand and joined with Folken, therefore, completing the triangle. She glanced at her son, then back to her granddaughter.   
  
"Are you ready?" she asked.  
  
Sellie nodded again. "Wait!" she cried.  
  
"What, dear?"  
  
"I just have one question."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Well, it's just that Dad is a Draconian as well as Mom. And I'm assuming that you are, or were… Uncle Folken, and you too?"  
  
Varie nodded. "You are correct."  
  
She breathed in. "So what does that make me?" she asked finally.  
  
Varie smiled again. "Only that you are a fledging child of Atlantis who has yet learned how to fly. Don't worry, dear. I'm sure that we'll see the appearance of your new… limbs, soon enough."  
  
And at the end of her sentence, Varie, Folken, and the Guymelef chamber within the Crusade disappeared into darkness. She had no feeling of fear, though, for she felt their presence still surrounding her, still watching over her.   
  
And then, she felt a part of her that was buried deep inside for so long. A part of her that she was missing. A small spark, dim and tiny, but still strong, hidden among her wishes and dreams. It had been sleeping for so long, waiting only for its time to awake and live. She took a hold of that light and held it tightly, believing in it and believing in herself. With each passing moment, it grew brilliant underneath her fingers until it had filled the empty space surrounding her with light. She could feel the encouragement of her grandmother and uncle around her, influencing to keep on going.  
  
It was so simple, this new strength. In a flash, she Saw her parents when they were young, when they first met. She Saw the love that they had for each other, how it was an ancient love passed through Time. She Saw what Dornkirk was after, that "perfect" world at the loss of the inhabitants' free will. She Saw how her father fought Allen…how her mother was held inside of the Empire… At last, she understood why the Power of Atlantis was supposed to remain dormant until the right time. If it had fallen into the hands of the Zaibach Empire… or any enemy, for that matter, there would be no stopping that person. This power of the heart, the mind, the soul… it had to be pure. It had to be apart of someone who was responsible and good… and her mother was the perfect choice. Then, it would be passed on to her, and to her daughter, and then to her granddaughter, and so on.   
  
She heard a voice… neither male nor female… but more like a chorus that spoke to her in a foreign language that she could understand. It comforted her, telling her that this gift was important. She learned instantly how not to be just a vessel defending this Power, but to use it as well, become one with it. It was her destiny.   
  
And she accepted this destiny, finally feeling the release from within.  
  
* * *  
  
"So…" Van said in the stillness. "That's about it."  
  
After his explanation of what had happened from their capture at Cassia to Gaea's earthly lair, there was a brief moment of silence. Van sipped a cup of water as his eyes moved about the room from person to person.  
  
Allen stood with his arms across his chest. Millerna had called in Dryden to hear Van's story, so she and her husband sat upon the cushioned benches, her head resting upon his shoulder. Rouen fidgeted next to them, changing his sitting position various times. Gaddes and Celena leaned against the wall, although they were not right next to each other, still wary of Allen. Other members of the crew were working at their stations, but managed to listen to most of his story.  
  
The Knight Caeli was the first to speak. "So, we're going to find Tarn… and then what?"  
  
"…and then we'll find out where Hitomi is."  
  
Allen uncrossed his arms and put them on his hips. "And how exactly are you planning on doing that?" he asked.  
  
Van lifted his head and looked him directly in the eyes. "What are you implying, Allen?" he said, cautiously working his words.   
  
"Van, have you actually thought this through?" he asked sternly, raising his voice. "You are talking about taking on an entire country with just my crew members. And then you'll simply *ask* Tarn where her location is? What if he doesn't say anything? What then? You'll have no idea where she is. You are not thinking clearly right now." He moved closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I know you would do anything for Hitomi. You know I would too. But you have to realize that some things are impossible to achieve."   
  
Van stood up from where he was sitting, knocking away his hand. "What are you saying? That you won't help?"  
  
"All I'm saying is that you're reaching for things that may not be there," he said calmly.  
  
Van stared at him with hurt and anger appearing in his eyes. He brushed past Allen and headed towards the control room's exit.  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked.  
  
Van stopped, but did not turn around. "I'm going to talk with my daughter," he answered slowly. Then, he left.  
  
Celena pushed herself off of the wall and followed him. Gaddes' eyes trailed after her. So did Allen's.  
  
She ran down the hallway and entered the sleeping chambers' section of the ship. She slowed down and walked towards the room that was given to Sellie for rest. Van burst out of the doorway just at the moment that Celena was going to enter.  
  
"Van?"  
  
"She's not in the damn room," he spat in a fury, racing down the hall. Celena caught up with him and grabbed his upper arm.  
  
"Van, calm down! She couldn't have gotten far. She can't have left the leviship, right?" she said.  
  
He stopped and lowered his head, exhaling loudly. "You're right," he surrendered.   
  
Her hand went lower and took his own hand in hers. "C'mon. I'll help you find her." She squeezed it gently as they headed down to the storage area.  
  
He looked at her and could not help and smile. "Thank you, Celena," he murmured.  
  
"Besides, Allen's still pissed off at me for not telling him…" she paused.  
  
"What, about you and Gaddes?"   
  
She looked at him with wide eyes. "Was it that noticeable?" she whispered. "Allen is such a stubborn ass. He still thinks that he can make my own decisions for me." A tear slipped down her cheek.   
  
"You know he's only looking out for you, Celena," Van said. "That is the duty of the older brother… to look out for their younger siblings. He's protecting you from the horrors of the world." He stopped. "I guess, that's what Folken did for me."  
  
"I'm sorry my memories of Dilandau don't include him," she said. "I'm sure that I would have liked your brother. But do those horrors include Gaddes?" she sniffed. "I know about some of the things he did in his past, but he's changed now. And I know that Allen cares for me deeply. I care for him just as much. But he has to learn that I grew up a long time ago and I need to live my own life."  
  
"And you've discussed this with him?"  
  
"Well…" she started, giggling a little. "Besides all the yelling and shouting?"  
  
"You need to sit down with him and Gaddes and tell him the truth -- without yelling," Van advised.  
  
Celena looked over at him with a glimmer in her eye and a smile on her face. Van caught her look. "What?" he asked.  
  
"Look at you!" she said. "You with all the relationship advice. Weren't you coming to me for help at some point?"  
  
He snorted. "Yeah… I followed your advice and look where it's gotten me."  
  
Celena's smile suddenly turned sullen. "I told you before that I will help you find Hitomi. I will not go back on my word."  
  
"Thank…" he broke off in mid-sentence, his eyes staring straight ahead.  
  
"Van… what is it?" she asked.  
  
"Look… the Guymelef chamber door is ajar. What if she…" he paused again, his steps growing closer to the room. He peered in, his eyes scanning the space.   
  
And catching something that made his jaw drop in awe.  
  
"What is…" Celena looked in and saw what he saw.  
  
Sellie stood in the center of the room, just in front of Allen's sitting Guymelef. Her eyes were closed in some sort of trance and was holding her hands up, palms facing towards the large entry.  
  
But it was her large Draconian wings that had taken their attention.   
  
"Sellie…" he whispered. "Sellie!"  
  
Whatever reverie she was in, she snapped out of at the sound of his voice. Van began to walk in the room, but Celena held him back.  
  
"Celena, what are you…" he said, annoyed.  
  
"Please, save yourself from her embarrassment and your own," she said quickly, then ran to the girl.  
  
"Sellie, turn around, hon," she said, falling to her knees. "You've ripped your shirt. I'm just going to tie it so you're not exposed."  
  
"Huh?" she said, then looked down at her now-shredded shirt hanging scarcely about her almost-bare frame. Her arms instinctively wrapped themselves around her body. "Wait, how did my shirt rip? I don't remember…" she turned her head to look back at Celena behind her, but all she saw were feathers and white.  
  
"My gods…" she murmured. "It happened, it really happened…"  
  
"There!" Celena said triumphantly. "All done!" She motioned for Van to come in, then moved out of the way.  
  
"Sellie…" he said hoarsely, his eyes gleaming. "How did you…? I never showed you…"  
  
She was still stunned as she touched the floating feathers floating around her. They were coming from her. "Wait… where's Uncle Folken? And Grandmother?"  
  
"Folken? Sellie, what are you talking about?" Van asked, still looking at her wings.  
  
"Uncle Folken and Grandmother were here, Dad," she said, looking around the chamber. "They were helping me with the Power of Atlantis and stuff. And… and I saw you with Mom when you were younger. And now I understand everything…" She collapsed to her knees, her wings hiding her. "I swear to the gods that they were here."  
  
Van knelt down besides her and parted her feathers so that he could look into her face. "I believe you, Sellie," he whispered. "I have seen them before as well. They are looking out for us."   
  
She looked up at him and nodded.   
  
"How do you feel," he asked.  
  
"I'm fine… I guess, a little shocked… but fine."  
  
He started to smile. "So… you wanna learn how to use them?"   
  
"What do you mean… 'learn'?" she asked curiously.  
  
He took her hands and lifted her to her feet. He looked over at Celena and winked as he took off his shirt and tossed it at her. With a deep breath and concentration, his own wings emerged from their hiding place. Celena realized his plan and hurried over to the control panel, slamming her hand down on the entrance opener button. The loud noise of churning gears lowered the door and the platform where Sellie and Van stood moved out of the Crusade.  
  
"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this," he said to her.  
  
The wind whipped around them and caused the shed feathers to dance about them. Sellie's loose hair continuously fell into her eyes as she tried tucking them behind her ear. Still holding onto Van's hand, she looked towards the ground. They were a lot higher than she had imagined. The Crusade was now flying just above the blanket of clouds.   
  
She clung tighter to his hand and took a step back. "Gods…" she breathed. But curiosity overwhelmed her and she returned to her original position and toed the edge of the platform.  
  
"We don't have to go if you don't want to, Sellie," Van said, looking at her with caution.   
  
"No, no… just give me a minute…" she replied. She looked up to see Dralion flying lazily behind the leviship, his great golden eyes focused directly on her.  
  
* It is only the initial jump that is frightening, child, * she heard him say to her mind. * However, once thee has fallen, it is a whole new world. *  
  
She looked at the great beast, then nodded in affirmation. "Alright, what must I do first?" she asked.  
  
Van smiled. "We'll start off easy. I don't want you to strain yourself on your first day. Now, I want you to get used to them. They kind of feel awkward at first, but soon, they'll actually feel like a part of you. Stretch them all the way out."  
  
She closed her eyes and focused on the area where she thought her muscles controlling them would be. Then, treating them as if they were an extra set of arms, she extended them to full length.  
  
"Good, good… now, we are going to glide on air currents. All we have to do now is jump."  
  
Jump. Easier said than done when you're standing thousands of feet above the ground. But each passing moment that Sellie stood at the edge, she became more comfortable at this height.   
  
She squeezed Van's hand and nodded. "Okay…" she exhaled.  
  
"On the count of three, alright?" he said. She nodded again and closed her eyes.  
  
It's so easy…  
  
"Three…"  
  
All I have to do is…  
  
"Two…"  
  
…jump.  
  
"One."  
  
When she was older and looked back on this day, Sellie would not remember her leap into nothingness. She couldn't remember not falling like a rock to the ground below. She didn't remember when Van let go of her hand.  
  
All she could remember were the little things: magically feeling as light as air… the wind underneath her wings that caused her to lift higher into the sky… the way that it felt so natural to be doing this… flying.  
  
She opened her eyes wide and looked around her. Van was right next to her, watching her every move and a smile stretching across his face. She held her arms out as if they were wings themselves. She heard Dralion give a roar of joy above as they flew together beneath him. She smiled and laughed, the first time she had done so since she could not recall.  
  
"Okay, now you're going to need to beat them in order to regain alt…" Van was beginning to say, but Sellie jumped ahead of him. Growing confident with every stroke, she flapped them strongly and banked a turn to head back towards the Crusade.   
  
"Sellie!" he shouted in surprise, then did a sharp turn to follow her.  
  
She started to soar again, just underneath of the Crusade. She saw Celena cheering her on in the Guymelef hanger, then disappear from her view. The leviship was chugging away at a comfortable speed, enabling Sellie to keep ahead of it a little.   
  
"C'mon, Dad! I'll race you!" she shouted over the motors back at Van, who had just caught up with her. She began to beat her wings stronger, but he playfully grabbed her bare ankle and pulled her back behind him.  
  
"HEY!"   
  
* * *  
  
"Boss, we will be arriving at Cassia within seven hours," Teo announced. "That puts us there about four hours after sunset so we'll have the cover of nighttime once we hit the borders."  
  
"Good," Allen replied. "That will hopefully give us enough time to come up with some sort of plan for…"  
  
A sudden burst of the bridge door broke his sentence. Celena barged in and raced towards the windows at the front.  
  
"Celena, what do you think you're…"  
  
"Van's teaching Sellie how to fly!" she cried, panting since she had just run all the way from the Guymelef chamber.  
  
There were loud rustles of movement as people raced to the window next to Celena. Rouen shoved his way through and placed his hands against the glass.  
  
"There!" Celena shouted and pointed to the left.  
  
Everyone followed her finger to Van, who had just broken through the clouds no more than twenty feet away from the Crusade, Sellie following right behind him. Her smiling face showed no trace of fear, but more of an experienced look. Van asked her something and she nodded. He angled his wings together and dove back down. Sellie followed his suit, but just before she disappeared beneath the clouds, she managed to catch the eye of a certain young man. She waved at Rouen, then brought her wings in close and fell towards the ground.   
  
"Gods… she looks so amazing…" he whispered to only himself.  
  
* * *  
  
The sound of insects was the only noise emitted from where Hitomi sat before the campfire, toying the unknown ring between her fingers. She noticed that engraved on the inside in fine cursive were words that carried such love in them: "From now till forever." Those words were from someone who loved her. She sighed and put the ring back on her finger.  
  
The heat of the day had not vanished when the sun sank below the earth, but she welcomed the warm glow of the flame. It seemed like it protected her from the dangers of the unknown jungle.  
  
Throughout the day, she had subsided with only her thoughts. Ashira continuously shoved her back into the tent as she worked on the Temple. Finally, by mid-afternoon, she allowed her out, diagnosing her fine except for the lack of memory. She had tried keeping to herself, but would ask Ashira little questions that she hoped would ignite some spark in her head.   
  
No such luck.  
  
"Eat up," Ashira said from behind her. She swung one leg over the log and slumped into a sitting position. She practically slammed a sandwich into Hitomi's chest as she voraciously ate hers. Hitomi took the bread and looked at it with a blank stare, then placed it onto her lap.   
  
"Sorry. Not really hungry," she said.  
  
Ashira shrugged her shoulders. "Your loss," she replied, then continued cramming into her mouth.  
  
Silence loomed over the two as crackles from the fire popped loudly. Finally, Hitomi spoke up.  
  
"Why was my husband murdered?"   
  
Ashira looked up, but did not say anything.  
  
"Look, I'm just curious," she continued. "I mean, we *were* together, and although I don't remember this person at all, there is a sense of grief I feel."  
  
She did not answer right away as she collected her thoughts while finishing what she was eating. "It was because of what you are," she said.  
  
"What I am? I don't understa..."  
  
"I'm going to tell you something that you will probably find hard to believe," Ashira interrupted. "But you have to. It's the truth and you will need to believe for what is coming up in a few days. You have heard of the legend of Atlantis, right?"  
  
Hitomi nodded. "What I can remember. It was some Greek folktale or whatever about a lost continent. In Plato's writings, it said that it was swallowed by the sea thousands of years ago. Atlantis was also famous for being ahead of its time with technology. And that there was some sort of power."  
  
Ashira looked at her in the eye. "Atlantis did exist, Hitomi. Other cultures besides the Greeks have some type of evidence that the continent was real. It even got all the way out here in this country.  
  
"You and I… a little while ago, we stumbled onto this dig site by accident. Well, not completely on accident, but it kind of fell into our laps. This site contains within it the location of where we could retain this 'power' that you just mentioned, the Power of Atlantis.  
  
Some how, we received a portion of what this Power truly is. It's the Power of the Mind, Hitomi. It amplifies what we already have to a higher degree. It has enabled us to do extraordinary things."  
  
Hitomi raised her eyebrow. "Do you honestly think that you expect me to believe this bullsh…" she began to say, but lost her train of thought as the fire suddenly disappeared. Within a second, it burst back into flame, but instead of being its orangey flavor, it was a deep blue.  
  
"What just happened?" she asked slowly.   
  
"I just thought of making the fire vanish and it happened. Then I changed the color," Ashira replied. "You can do it too, you know. You can do anything you want to."  
  
"I don't want to change anything… I want the fire to be its normal color!" She raised her voice at the end and subconsciously waved her hand over the flames. It instantly turned back to its bright orange.  
  
She looked down at her hand in confusion. "Did…"  
  
"Nope, not there," Ashira shoved her hand away. "Here." She tapped her finger on Hitomi's forehead. "There is more to learn than cheap magic tricks though. It's a little more complicated than that.  
  
"Here's the theory I have: we have to search for this Sacrificial Room where the natives performed their deepest magic. I've read texts saying that the Atlanteans traveled the world, expanding their knowledge or something. That's how so many cultures knew of them. They have come here, to this Temple, and given their wisdom and power to these people. I think that they believed the people would cherish such a gift.   
  
"But, unlike the Atlanteans, *these* people knew of its potential danger and were able to harness it. That's how Atlantis was destroyed. The Power overcame them."  
  
"But that doesn't explain why *we* have it… or what happened to my husband," Hitomi pointed out.  
  
"This wasn't the first time we have been to this temple," Ashira continued. "We were here a year ago, when I heard rumors about this place. I put two and two together and I asked you for your help. You and your husband were inseparable, so he decided to come along too." She paused. "But someone else also figured out about this place, and they wanted the Power for themselves. We got here first and uncovered it, but at great costs."  
  
"My husband," Hitomi said flatly.  
  
"He was killed in front of your eyes when you would give up the Power to the guy," she continued. "We barely managed to escape with our own lives. But we had to come back here for this date: May 12, 2016, because we need to make sure that the rest of the Power doesn't fall into the wrong hands."  
  
"You mean, take more within us?" Hitomi said.  
  
"Yes."  
  
There was more silence as the older woman sat hunched over, staring deeply into the fire. Ashira sucked in her breath, hoping that she would not ask many more questions. So far, it looked like that her lies were being believed. But when the time would come when things would get complicated, she didn't know how much further she would go.  
  
"So what other things can I do?" Hitomi inquired finally.  
  
"Even with the small portion that we uncovered, you can still do a lot with it. And it won't take you long to get the hang of living like a goddess."  
  
"Well, why don't we work on it tonight?" she offered. "That way, I can be ready just in case that guy came back."  
  
Ashira smiled with a flare in her eye. The lust for revenge. "Then lets get to work," she said coolly.  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
*UPDATE 09.11.2002* So right now, I am on the road driving across this lovely country of America to school and during one of my insomnia spells, decided to finish off this chapter. Its been bugging me because things aren't working out just right in my head so it's going to be awhile until the next chapter comes out. Plus, my classes start up in a week so all my free time will be cut significantly. I must say, its been a great trip so far. Who would have thought that a Toyota Corolla could make it this far? My little Bob is a wonderful car.   
  
PS. I finally finished my picture of my surfboard. My dad plans on taking it down to the beach to show everyone what I do when I'm bored out of my mind.  
  
Chapter title comes from the new song "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson. Yes, I have become an addict to American Idol and I was so happy when she won. 


	12. Castles in the Sky

Date. 09.25.2002  
Time. 8.54  
Music. Watching SNL  
Chapter 12  
  
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne.  
  
Author's Notes. Whew! So I have started my classes for this quarter and they're not that time-consuming. Yet. And I stress on the yet. Of course, we all know that the first week is the easiest. Anyhoo, I'm bored right now so I decided to start typing out Chapter 12. Yawn. We'll see how this one goes.  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 12. Castles in the Sky  
  
* * *  
  
Appearing in front of the Crusade actually made her feel fairly comfortable. After Van pulled her back, she tried hard to catch up to him and jump into the lead. When he burst through the clouds and was just beyond the leviship's front windows, Sellie wanted to hold back and hide in the vapors. But her momentum forbade her to stop completely, and soon, she was by his side. She could barely see the outlines of the various main deck crew members along with her father's close friends.  
  
And her even closer friend, Rouen.  
  
At the moment she caught his gaze, she felt at ease and no longer afraid. He gave her a quick grin, the same type of grin that she had seen for years that always annoyed her. But now, there was something different going on between them. Whether it was love or not, Sellie knew they would be together further down the road. She had seen it when she re-awoke her dormant power.  
  
She was only thirteen years old. She had plenty of time to worry about love. But for now, she and Rouen would remain best friends.  
  
She had followed her father down below the leviship. She thought that they were going to cruise besides the ship, but he went down even further, beyond the bottoms of the clouds.   
  
They had reached the boundaries of what appeared to be farmland. Nothing but green crops as far as her eyes could see. It must have been around mid-afternoon; Sellie had lost track of time once they boarded the Crusade. Many farmhands were in the fields, tending to the plants. They were too busy working to notice two Draconians flying over their heads.  
  
Sellie stopped flapping her wings and tried soaring again on currents, drooping a bit in altitude. Van, with his hawk-like eyes, noticed immediately, and was by her side instantly.  
  
"You okay?" he asked. Sellie nodded in response, but the weariness in her eyes gave away the answer.  
  
"You worn out?" he added. Once again, Sellie nodded. He smiled slightly, then shifted his flight so that he flew just above her.   
  
"Here," he said. "Give me your hand."  
  
She immediately obeyed, not denying the extra help he was offering. She lifted her hand above her head and he took it, pulling her up to him. As he did this, she tucked her wings in and folded them neatly behind her. Surprised that she actually knew what she was doing, she tightened her grip on Van's arm. He held her tightly with his arm, it wrapping entirely around her smaller frame. He chuckled for a second.  
  
"Don't worry," he said. "I'll never let you go." Hmmm… he pondered on what he just said. That sounds familiar…  
  
"I'm sorry," Sellie whispered.   
  
"For what? This?" Van asked. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Sellie. This was your first flight and you've had a rough few days. Of course, you'll wear out easily. It's nothing to be ashamed about. Your mom would need me after a little while, too."  
  
Sellie blushed at the thought of her parents flying in the night sky, much younger and carefree. She was about to say something about Rouen, but the change in flight pattern befuddled her.  
  
"Let's go back to the ship, alright?" he said firmly. She silently agreed and clung tighter to his arm. He quickly gained more altitude and moved his wings in such a rhythm. With her free hand, she held her loose hair so the wind would not whip it into his face.   
  
Within minutes, he had broken through the low clouds and were in sight of the Crusade and Dralion again. They had only spent about forty minutes down below the haze level. As Van passed the great dragon, Sellie let go of her hair and waved to him. Dralion nodded to her as she and her father neared the ship. She was waiting for the landing onto the Guymelef platform, but it never came. In fact, Van completely avoided it and scaled even higher above the leviship.  
  
"Where are we…" she began.  
  
"You'll see," was the reply.  
  
Bewildered, she watched as they flew to the actual top of the Crusade. In doing so, she spotted a part of the ship where it dipped down, creating a wall that blocked the wind and an area large enough for three large people to fit. Van slowed himself down and braced his feet for impact. He landed rather awkwardly, but made sure he was stable enough to let go of Sellie. She quickly sat down, her wings spread slightly so that they weren't uncomfortable to lean on. Van joined her side and brought his knees towards his chest and rested his arms on them.  
  
Silence lingered between the two, as if each one were trying to think of something to say that wouldn't turn into an argument. Sellie would shift uncomfortably every now and then, due to the newness of her wings. Finally, Van decided the break the stillness.  
  
"This was my hiding place long before you were born," he brought up.  
  
"Oh," she answered rather quickly. "How'd you find it?"  
  
"Mistake, really," he replied. "It was just a nice place to go when I needed to get away from the guys on our trips to visit allying countries during the Act of Alliance."  
  
"Oh," she said simply, then looked off to the side, bringing once more silence to the area. After what seemed like eternity, Van cleared his throat.  
  
"You… uh, did really well for your first time," he said, stumbling a bit. "You're a natural. When I first learned how to… fly, I fell a few times."  
  
"I know… Grandmother Varie told me," Sellie said, holding in a cough.   
  
"What… else did she tell you?" he asked softly, skipping a beat.  
  
"It wasn't really 'telling' me… it was more like she 'showed' me," she straightened out. "I can't remember everything off hand but… if you mention something like you just did, I remember it.  
  
"She also said that she and Uncle Folken watch out for us… and that I shouldn't worry about small things that you and Mom didn't tell me. More things are important."  
  
"Look, Sellie, I'm really sorry for not telling…"  
  
"I know, I know…" she raised her voice loud enough to interrupt him. "Dad… I understand now… I know what you and Mom went through. I know that you were just protecting me." She took his hand. "But you have to understand that I'm growing up. I can make decisions for myself."  
  
He looked at her with no expression on his face. Sellie thought for a brief moment that she should take back what she just said, but he cracked a grin. "You sound like Hitomi," he said quietly.  
  
"I should… shouldn't I?" she replied. Van looked at her and nodded, squeezing her hand gently. At this simple gesture, Sellie broke.   
  
Tears spilt down her face uncontrollably. "I miss Mom," she cried, lowering her face into her hands. "I want her back. I've never been this long without her! And she and I weren't on good terms, too! And now, *I'm* the only that can save her and its too big for me! I just… I just…"   
  
"Shhh…" Van took her into an awkward hug by wrapping his arm around her, careful to not fuss with her wings. "I know, Sellie… I know. I should have done something…more to help her…"  
  
"Dad, you couldn't have done anything. You weren't able to."  
  
"I let her down."  
  
Sellie sniffled. "We'll find her. I'm going to try my hardest."  
  
Van let out a halfhearted laugh. "I know you will. I will too." He kissed the top of her head as she leaned in closer and shut her eyes tight, tears still managing to sneak out. Within minutes, she fell asleep from exhaustion in her father's arm. He decided not to move her just yet and enjoy this moment between father and daughter.   
  
Instead, the two Draconians merely remained in Van's secret place, he trying to contemplate the next move.  
  
* * *  
  
It had been awhile since Van and Sellie disappeared from the Crusade's sight. After Celena's burst of excitement and drawing the others to the window panes, things looked as if to be settling down among the travelers.  
  
Or so it seemed.  
  
Twittering anticipation of what was to happened next was on everyone's mind. Once they returned to Cassia, what would be waiting for them? Would Fate be cruel and Tarn would expect their arrival with an army of thousands? Or would they be greeted by ghosts and phantoms?  
  
These questions lingered inside of Allen's mind as he stood by the front windows, his arms crossing his chest. He found this position most easing when he needed to do some deep pondering. His crew knew it was time to leave him alone when he stood in this stance.   
  
Though he was worried about the upcoming events concerning Hitomi, he would always wander back to the situation between Celena and Gaddes. Was it really a situation, though? Why was he feeling so bitter about this? His Second-in-Command had been his best friend for years and he and his sister had been by his side for almost 20 years now.   
  
He sighed and looked up. Gaddes was muttering something in low tones to Teo at the control panel. Celena sat next to Millerna on the bench with her head leaning on her shoulder. The Queen was stroking his sister's loose silvery blonde hair and tucking it behind her ear. She was childless at the moment, Allen noticed. Rouen must have been with his father in one of the chamber rooms.  
  
He closed his eyes once more, trying to draw strength for what he was about to do.  
  
"Celena… Gaddes… I need to speak with you privately," he calmly said without opening his eyes.  
  
The two straightened themselves and stared at Allen with wide eyes. Celena glanced over at Gaddes with a puzzled look. In silence, they left the main deck and walked down in the hallway, shortly followed by Allen.  
  
"Go in my office there," he said.  
  
Celena grasped the handle and opened the door for the others. They walked into the darkness of the room except for the soft glow of flame from a lamp, and stood surrounding Allen's desk. He leaned over the table and twisted the oil lamp's knob. Light illuminated the room as he gestured for them to sit at the two wooden chairs sitting on the opposite side of the desk. He dragged his own chair just in front of the two and sat down.  
  
"Why are we here?" Celena finally broke the dullness.   
  
"I think you know why we are here," Allen replied.  
  
"Blessed be the gods, Allen," she snapped, raising her voice. "If this your stupid crap you're pulling again about me and Gaddes, I'm going to…"  
  
"Relax, Celena…" he lifted his hand to silence her. "I've been thinking about this and what you, Gaddes, and I have said." He paused, then continued. "What I said about my men on the Crusade was true. They were all thieves and scum… the keyword here being 'were.'"  
  
Gaddes looked at him, mildly perplexed. So was Celena.  
  
"I believe that working for the country of Asturia has allowed each one of you to repay your debt to society. You especially, Gaddes. When you were assigned to work with me 23 years ago, we both were broken men. Marlene was married off to the Duke of Freid and I was shipped off to the borders at the fortress of Castelo. Along with me were fifty-something men that in no means wanted to be ordered around by an eighteen-year-old.   
  
"But somewhere, I found your respect and you found mine. I believe I haven't said that enough. Gaddes, I appreciate you and I respect you."  
  
"Thank you Captain," Gaddes bowed his head. "But it was all because of you, you know. You treated each of us as equals, no matter what we did in the past. You still considered each one of your soldiers as men."  
  
"You *are* men," Allen replied.  
  
"Then why won't you let me love him freely, Brother?" Celena leaned in and asked softly.   
  
His eyes shifted from Gaddes' to his sister's. "You really want to know why?" he inquired. "You're going to think its rather selfish."  
  
"Please, tell me," she begged.  
  
He breathed deep. "It's because you'll be leaving me forever," he said. "You were missing for years and I thought that I would never get you back. And there you were, inside that body of a monster all along, and you were fully returned. I promised Mother and Father that I would never let anything take you away again. I would serve the role as the older brother."  
  
"That's not selfish, Brother," she said lowly.   
  
"There's more," he replied. "I knew that if my best friend would steal away my sister, I would feel like the odd one out. It would seem like I didn't belong with the other two."  
  
"That's not true, Captain," Gaddes protested. "You know that."  
  
"Do I, Gaddes?" Allen looked back at his Second. "We can't see the future." He paused. "Well, *we* can't see the future," he continued, pointing at the three of them. "You may say now that we will always be together, but things change."  
  
"Yes, Brother. Things do change." Celena grasped his hand that was sitting upon the armrest. "People come and go out of our lives all the time. But those who do matter will always remain with us, if not physically, then within our hearts.  
  
"My love for you, Brother, will *never* change. You are my protector, my champion." She looked over at Gaddes and blushed. "But would it be alright if I had two champions? If I had two people remain with me, if not physically, then within my heart?" She squeezed his hand. "Allen, I want you to be alright with this."  
  
"That depends," he said, glancing over at Gaddes. "Will this other person honor and cherish you as much as I?"  
  
Gaddes swallowed loudly in his throat. "Yes," he said.  
  
"Will he remain by your side when you are sick and tend to you as I have?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Will he remain loyal to you and only to you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Will he stay by your side if he found out that you had a horrible snoring problem?"  
  
"Allen!" Celena almost slapped his hand.  
  
"Hey, I'm being thorough here."  
  
Chuckling, Gaddes answered "Yes."  
  
Allen sighed once more and took Gaddes' hand with his own free one. He gently placed it on top of Celena's and covered them with his hands, holding them firmly together.  
  
"And," he continued. "If that person involved could forgive my stubbornness and selfishness, I ask this man if he still wants my sister's hand in marriage."  
  
Gaddes looked over to Celena, whose eyes were brimming with joyful tears. "That I do," he murmured.  
  
"Celena… would you forgive your older brother's faults and take this man to be yours in marriage?"  
  
Celena sniffed and wiped away her tears with her free hand. "That I do," she cried.  
  
"Well, if I could, I'd marry you here and now," Allen said. "But I'm not a priest and I'd assume that you'd want to be in a church or…"  
  
He was cut shortly as Celena threw herself into his arms and hugged tightly, sobbing slightly onto his shoulder. He rubbed her back and glanced at Gaddes. The Sergeant simply nodded and mouthed "thank you."  
  
Allen returned the nod and gently removed Celena from her embrace and guided her over to Gaddes. He immediately stood from his seat and took his fiancée into his own arms, holding her as if he would never let her go. He hid his face in the crook of her neck and ran his fingers within her long hair.  
  
The Knight Caeli smiled at the two, then silently left his office to allow them some private intimacy. Just before he heard the click of the door as he shut it slowly, Celena cried out "I'm getting married!"   
  
Allen rubbed the bridge of his sinus and shut the door, an unmistakable tear running down the side of his lean face.  
  
"Hey, what's going on?"   
  
He looked up to see Van coming down the hallway, his wings hidden and shirt replaced, with Sellie in his arms, dead asleep. Her wings were still exposed and tucked underneath.  
  
He grinned at the slumbering girl as he wiped his eye. "First time wore her out?" he noticed.   
  
"Yeah, she wore me out too." He tried to arch his back to stretch out his upper muscles. "But she's a natural at it… just like her mom."  
  
There was a moment of silence as the two men thought about Hitomi in sadness. It was Van first that emerged from the reverie.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry about earlier," he said. "I've had all this anger built up inside and I lashed out at the wrong person and…"  
  
Allen stopped him. "No need. I completely understand."  
  
"And I do appreciate your input, Allen. You know that."  
  
There was more stillness as an apology/acceptance took place between them. Happy with things resolved, Van spoke up again.  
  
"I don't remember which one was Sellie's room," he said. "I was going to let her rest awhile before we landed."  
  
"Oh, I think we put her down here," he gestured down the hall towards the sleeping quarters. He headed the way and looked about, trying to remember which one they had placed her in before.  
  
"Hey, are you alright?" Van asked, shifting the weight of Sellie. "You seem out of place."  
  
"Hmmm? Oh, I'm good," Allen answered absentmindedly.   
  
"Did you clear up the circumstances between you, Celena, and Gaddes?"  
  
Allen whirled around in mid-step. "How'd you know about that?"  
  
Van looked at him oddly. "You know your sister. She is quite the gossip queen."  
  
"Yes I did. That's where I just was before I ran into you."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And now they're in there, trying to figure out the next step in the engagement."  
  
Van cracked a grin. "Ah ha. So you finally came to see the light?"  
  
"I guess you can call it that." He pushed open a door on his right and peeked inside. "Here it is."  
  
The King and Knight entered the room and made their way over to the small cot. Van lowered Sellie into the bed, putting her on her side with her wings spilling over the edge. She curled into an even tighter ball and sighed in her sleep. He pulled the lightweight blanket up to her chin and smoothed it out.   
  
"C'mon," Allen grabbed his shoulder. "Let's go."  
  
Van nodded in agreement and followed the older man out. He took one last look at the sleeping girl, then gently shut the door with a faint click. Then, he turned around and tracked Allen to the main deck.  
  
"So where's our current location?" he asked the crew.  
  
"Somewhere over the vicinity of Lothian, one of the larger cities in Cassia," Piru answered. "It should be about three hours until we are in sight of the Capital."  
  
"Good," Allen replied. "Weather conditions?"  
  
"Though that storm has passed, there will be scattered clouds throughout the area."  
  
"Excellent," he said. "Darkness and cloud cover will give us the hidden edge that we need right now for a sneak attack."  
  
He looked over at Van, whose eyes showed signs of definite weariness. "Why don't you go grab a spare room?" he suggested. "You're dead on your feet."  
  
Though he was about to protest, the King nodded and headed out the door. Allen shook his head.   
  
I don't know how he can do this… he thought. If someone I loved had disappeared, I would be a wreck.  
  
* * *  
  
"So, how was your first flight?"  
  
"Gods, Uncle Folken, it was so great!"  
  
"Really…"  
  
"Yes! The feel of the wind beneath. The sensation of being as light as air. It was almost as if I was living a dream. I knew I've done this before."  
  
"Well, you sort of did. Van took you out at least once a week when you were younger."  
  
"I know. He had this happy look in his eyes the entire time. Each time I'd glance at him, he was smiling. I haven't seen him smile in a long time."  
  
"Of course he was happy, Sellie. This day was as important to him as if it were the day you were born or you were taking your first steps."  
  
"Yeah… I just wish Mom was here."  
  
Silence. "How are you now?"  
  
"I don't know. Confused. Lost. Alone. But calm, too."  
  
"First of all, you are *not* alone. I thought we cleared this up earlier."  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
A chuckle. "You are at a difficult age in your life, niece. You are at a crossroads, trying to decide what path you want to take. You are unsure of what this future holds for you and you do not want to advance. You want to remain in this same place where you have been for years, where everything is comfortable and familiar."  
  
"Yes…"  
  
"Like how you mentioned earlier that you don't want to be a princess."  
  
"How did I know you were going to throw that back in my face?"  
  
Another hearty laugh. "I may not be the one that you should talk to about that. When you wake up, find your father and tell him how you feel. It doesn't help to hide things away."  
  
Sigh. "Ugh. I just want to sleep forever."  
  
"Now, now. You have to go to the Mystic Moon soon to find your mother."  
  
"Will you and Grandmother Varie help us once we're there?"  
  
"I'm not sure yet. We'll find out soon enough. But there are things that you do have to figure out on your own."  
  
"I knew you were going to say that."  
  
"One of the perks to being psychic, I guess, no?"  
  
"No."  
  
A burst of pure laughter. "Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. You'll do fine. I believe in you."  
  
"Aww… thank you, Uncle Folken. Maybe that's what I need to hear."  
  
A kiss on the forehead. "Now go. You've been sleeping long enough and your energy is restored."  
  
"Good. Will I be able to see you later?"  
  
"In your dreams."  
  
* * *  
  
She stretched out languidly and let out a loud bellow of a yawn. Giggling at her own intensity, she opened her eyes, expecting to find herself on top of the Crusade, the wind blowing in her hair. Instead, she was in her own dormitory on the ship, a lightweight blanket pulled up to her stomach. Her room was dark, letting her know that the sun had set long before.  
  
She pushed herself up and realized that the weight nestled in behind her were her own wings. She hadn't withdrew them before she had fallen asleep next to her father while they were talking. Besides that, she did not know *how* to withdraw them. Nor did she know how to make them appear. They just did when she was in that triangle with her grandmother and uncle.   
  
Hmmm… maybe I should find Dad so that he could show me how, Sellie thought.  
  
A mist of fear fell over her eyes. He's probably on the main deck with the rest of the crew. That meant he was in public and she didn't want peering eyes staring at her just yet. Van and Hitomi had kept theirs a secret from mostly everyone except for their close friends. Maybe she should hold out here for a little while longer.  
  
Her prayers must have been answered, for within seconds of that last thought, a knock interrupted her thinking. "Sellie? You awake?" a familiar voice called from the other side of the door.  
  
"Yeah, Dad," she replied. "Come in."  
  
The narrow door opened slowly and Van entered, a tray of food and drink balanced with one hand and a fresh shirt folded over the other.  
  
"I figured you'd be hungry," he said. "I always am."  
  
In fact, she was… for the first time in a while. She tried to think back when was the last time she actually ate something, finally deciding was the banquet dinner the night before. Even then, she didn't eat much.  
  
"Thanks," she answered. "But I want to know something first. How do you… you know… put these things back in?"  
  
"Oh yeah," he smiled. "It's really easy… and it'll be similar to when you want to release them." He set the tray on her bedside table and pulled her out of the cot. "First of what you want to do is find the concentration of where your energy lies. For your wings, it back here," he said, pointing to just between her shoulder blades. "You feel that knot there?"  
  
She nodded. "That's where you want to focus on. Right now, your wings are out, so the knot doesn't feel as condensed. It's like an open hand," he held his hand out with his fingers spread wide. "You're going to want to tighten your muscles so that knot seems more like a fist." He pulled in his hand tight and turned it into a ball.  
  
Sellie nodded again and closed her eyes. After what seems like forever, a faint glow emitted from her and her wings disappeared into her back. She let out a gasp as the last of the molted feathers swirled in the air.  
  
"Celena gave you one of her smaller shirts," he handed her the clothing from his arm.  
  
"That's so weird," she noticed as she pulled the new shirt over her head. "I can still feel them, just beneath my skin."  
  
"You're always going to feel them now. When you want them out, simply gather your energy into that knot and push out." He picked up a fruit. "Piscus?"  
  
She shook her head, but did grab the chunk of white bread sitting next to it. As she took a bite and chewed, she recalled her dream conversation with Folken. She sighed and placed the roll back on the plate.  
  
"Something wrong, Sellie?" Van asked, immediately noticing her action.  
  
She looked up to meet his gaze. "Dad, I need to tell you something that's been bothering me for awhile."  
  
He led her over to the cot and sat down next to her. "Sellie, you know you can tell me anything," he said softly.  
  
"And you promise you won't get mad?"  
  
He smiled again. "Yes, I promise I won't get mad."  
  
Sellie breathed deep. "I never wanted to go to that celebration party for Lord Tarn's birthday."  
  
Van let out a laugh. "Gods, is that all? I thought it was something else."  
  
Sellie held up her hand. "No, that isn't all," she said, cutting him off. "I don't like going to parties in general. I hate the mingling that we have to do with all those strangers. I hate dressing up in all these formal wears that I only wear for one night. I hate answering all those older people on how I plan to rule Fanelia.  
  
I hate being this person that's above everything… as if I have the control. I don't like it. I don't like being royal or a princess or whatever." She paused. "I just want to be me."  
  
Instead of reacting how Sellie thought that he would, Van rubbed her back and gave her a grin. "I know how you are feeling, honey. I really do." His gaze turned to the floor. "When I was only a little older than you, I had to do the Rite of Succession and slay the dragon in order to become king. I did not want to do it. I begged Balgus and Palos to let me off, but they remained by their beliefs. This Rite would prove that I was able to handle such a stressful occupation.  
  
"When my father died when I was much younger, Folken was sent out to find the dragon's nest. Though my mind repeatedly told myself that everything would be alright, my heart held doubt and that I would eventually have to take his place. I would have been happy if Folken had returned and become king, and I would only be a brother to that king. I didn't mind.  
  
"But Folken didn't return and it was decided that when I turned 15 years old, I would be sent out as well. For ten years, I dreaded that day when Balgus would come to my quarters and tell me it was time. Since I was the last Fanel by blood, I was pushed into politics, religious studies, and social affairs one after another. They wanted to make sure that I would turn out fine if I was able to kill the dragon.  
  
"For ten years, I didn't want to be a prince. I wanted to just play about in the forest or the lake with Merle while Folken took care of Fanelia. Call it selfish or whatever, but I hated my life. I hated what I turned into. But you know what made me change?"  
  
"What?" Sellie asked.  
  
"Your mom. When she first came to Gaea all those years ago, she made me realize that the person I had turned into was not the person I wanted to be for the rest of my life. Within those colors when we were with each other and fighting in the Great War, I changed. And after she left, I *wanted* to be king. I wanted to guide Fanelia and her people into prosperity and peace. I wanted to make it so that when I had children, they would not have to face the same hardships that I had faced."  
  
"So what you're saying is that at some point, I'm going to want to become a ruler? When I meet a special person?"  
  
"It seems to me that you've already met a special person."  
  
Sellie blushed. "Daaaaad…" she said, annoyed.   
  
"One day, you'll see the big picture and where you fit in life. I did." He kissed her forehead, in the exact same spot where Folken kissed her in her dream. "Let's go see what's up. We should be in the capital of Cassia at any moment."  
  
He took her hand and walked to the deck. With each step, she pondered on what he said. One day, you'll see the big picture and where you fit in life… I did…  
  
When would that be?  
  
He pushed open the door and emerged into the lit room. As soon as she took her first step, an eruption of clapping and hooting filled the area, Gaddes and Celena being the loudest.  
  
"Let's hear it for Sellie and her first successful flight!" the Lieutenant shouted, cheers soon following. She blushed and smiled. Just something like this made her feel more comfortable among these people, as if they accepted her for whatever she was.  
  
As soon as the commotion died down, Van walked over to Allen next to the windows. "What's our location now?" he asked.  
  
"We should be minutes away from Cassia," he answered. "Reeden is lowering us over the palace so we can get an aerial view point before we make our first move."  
  
"Good. I told Dralion earlier to hang back a ways by his waterfall and that I would give him the signal when he was needed."  
  
From that loud upsurge of applause, the deck was now deathly silent. It seemed as if people were holding their breaths so see what was to come.  
  
Finally, Sellie could see the highest buildings of the castle. One by one, the lower structures emerged until they could see all of the palace clearly. Except there seemed to be one problem that everyone noticed at the same time.  
  
"Where is everyone?"  
  
* * *  
  
Whew! I worked up a sweat on that one! Hehe. I haven't been able to write lately because I've been working on my lecture classes and my computer class. I thought at first that I wouldn't have a lot of work, but I lied. A lot.  
  
I got the best news today! When I woke up to go to brunch with my roommate Abby, I checked my email just to see if I got anything. And I got one that said I won second place in the Escaflowne slogan contest at www.lizzard.net/Escaflowne! I FLIPPED out. I didn't even really try to do anything much. I just got bored one day and made it. If you're interested in seeing it, its posted at that site. Plus on top of that, this is a totally awesome movie site if you've never been there.  
  
A week from tomorrow, I'm seeing the American Idol tour! I am such a big big dork. I'll be the 20 year old standing in a crowd of teeny boppers (no offense to anyone).  
  
Chapter title comes from the song lyrics from "Before Your Love" by Kelly Clarkson.  
  
"I wanted more than just an ordinary life  
All of my dreams seemed like castles in the sky" 


	13. Worlds Apart

Date. 10.31.2002 (Happy Halloweenie!)  
Time. 1.41 pm  
Music. "Only Hope" by Mandy Moore  
Chapter 13  
  
Copyright. Don't own it. Nope, sir, I don't.  
  
Author's Notes. YAY! It's Halloweenie time! I decided to go as Ed from Cowboy Bebop. We have an entire group going (excluding Faye unfortunately). A lot of people say that if my hair was short I would look exactly like Hitomi. So for a brief period I did. But now my hair is bright red so that is that. If you wanna see pics, let me know. I started writing notes of the following chapters in my art history class. When my professor is showing slides of Classical Greek, I'm scribbling out Chapters 13 through 15. Don't expect all of them to be up any time soon. Finals will soon be upon me and they are going to be killers. Grrrrr. Well, anyhoo, on with the show.  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 13. Worlds Apart  
  
* * *  
  
The evening dew clung to Sellie's bare feet and the hems of her pants as she cautiously descended down the gangway of the Crusade and stepped onto the grass. Allen had commanded his crew to land in the courtyard of the palace rather than the landing pad on the outskirts of the city due to lack of time. Besides the fact that they still had to get back home, *then* go to the Mystic Moon to find her mother, they had no idea *where* to locate her if Tarn was nowhere to be found.   
  
Why must things always get so complicated?  
  
Most of the crew were in front of her, their stance in readiness for any type of surprise attack from Cassian soldiers. But there was obviously no movement made when the Crusade grew ever closer towards the palace. Still, swords were drawn and eyes scanned all corners for any kind of shadows that could be a possible enemy.   
  
She mindlessly rubbed her pendant and thought of her mother. Where was she at? Had she been hurt by that other woman Ashira?   
  
Would they actually make it in time to get to the Mystic Moon and see her once more?  
  
Van had insisted that she stay inside the Crusade, but she had to exit the leviship. It's constraining me, Dad, she had told him. I can't breathe. She felt claustrophobic within these metallic walls and required the freedom of the outdoors. Van had looked at her wearily, sighed… too exhausted to argue with her, and simply said to stay close to him.   
  
She was glad not having to explain the real reason besides the containment, though she was actually partially truthful. She had this odd sensation that she had to make physical contact with the ground. Ever since she had met Gaea and found out her ancestry, her desire to be one with Nature has increased significantly. With every passing moment upon that ship, panic had swept through her like a wildfire.   
  
Just before the gangway hit the ground, Van handed her a sword. Keep it close, he said. Just in case.  
  
Her grip tightening on the handle, Sellie looked carefully around the surroundings. No sign of the military. The Crusade crew slowly wandered, examining every and any fine detail that could give them any clue to what happened to the Cassians.  
  
Dralion touched the soil lightly as he beat his massive leathery wings, hovering just about the ground. Making sure that he had enough space, he settled down into the grassy area and folded his wings neatly along his backside. He walked over towards them at the leviship, his long neck arched and his sharp eyes around as well.  
  
Sellie had noticed also that her connection with Dralion had deepened. She felt comfortable with him around, just knowing that he would always be there to protect her. During her alone time on the Crusade, she pondered to herself about the dragon's past, about Aerin. He had told her when they first met that his true human love would return to him someday. Then he saw the way he was around her.  
  
Was she truly his returned Aerin?  
  
She shook off the thought and closed her attention in onto what was going on during *this* lifetime.  
  
Reeden and Katz announced that they were going to enter the town outside the walls to see if the people there knew any information.   
  
Sellie sighed loudly. "Dad, no one is here."  
  
Van nodded. "It seems that its just Tarn and his men never returned," he mused. "But where are all the other people? Party-goers, servants, noblemen… did they all leave too? And why would he leave his entire estate unguarded?"  
  
Allen shrugged and looked about the remaining people. "Millerna, Celena, Rouen, Sellie… why don't you go and sit inside for a bit? The rest of you… search the grounds."  
  
"But…" Sellie began.  
  
"No," Van said sternly. "You've had your breath of fresh air. Go inside and sit still so I don't have to worry about you just now."  
  
"But Dad…"  
  
"No!" he snapped. "Go inside."  
  
Sellie blinked back tears of hate and hurt. Van had never raised his voice to her like that before. Sure, when she would sneak off and avoid her studies of politics, he would grow angry with her, but soon cool off and forget what had happened.   
  
He's angry with the current situation, she told herself. It's not you he's mad at. He wants your mom back.  
  
I want her back too… she thought as the salty tears slipped over her cheeks.   
  
She felt Celena's warm hand touch her shoulder and squeezed gently. It soon moved down and took Sellie's own hand and walked her back into the Crusade. Her gesture said everything that she didn't: You know he loves you. Just obey him for this one time.  
  
She silently agreed, but felt the instant strain on her heart with each step she took into the leviship, wanting and wishing she were outside in the environment where she belonged. Maybe this feeling will pass… she thought.   
  
Or, at least, she *hoped* it would.   
  
* * *  
  
The eerie feeling still clung in the air as the small group covered the grounds. Satisfied that no one was hiding and planning an attack, Allen signaled to enter the palace grounds. They entered through the Grand Ballroom where they had eaten dinner the night previous. A chill swept over Van as he realized that this was where he had seen Hitomi with a blade at her throat. That image was permanently imprinted into his memory.  
  
He shuddered and brought his hand to his forehead, stabilizing himself as a wave of nausea flowed through him.  
  
"Fanel?" Gaddes asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You alright?"  
  
"Mmmm…" Van muttered. "Give me a minute. I'm going to my room to get my sword and things."  
  
"You want someone to go with you?"  
  
Van shook his head. "No, I'll be fine." He waved off the others and moved quickly where Tarn's servants had ushered Hitomi and him into their sleeping chambers. He mentally laughed at the thought. They never even got to sleep there.  
  
As he entered the room, he swore he could smell the faint trace of her perfume in the still air. He crossed the room to where she stood at the moment he came bursting in through the door, angry that Sellie was no longer in her quarters. She was changing into her nightgown but quickly brought up her corset to hide herself.  
  
* "Van! What do you…" * she had begun to yell.   
  
They had parted on bad terms, her leaving him with negative energy in the air. Most of it being his energy. He always had troubles controlling his anger and now that Hitomi was gone, he was hiding it all too well. He knew that at any point, the emotion would not be held in anymore and he would explode out.   
  
He just hoped that no one else would be around to see him.  
  
The nightgown was still strewn upon the made bed, a white silky narrow dress with embroidered ivy that she always wore. He touched it gently with his fingertips, remembering times when he would remove it from her and carelessly toss it over his shoulder and onto the floor. He brought it up to his face and inhaled her scent in deeply. She smelt of sweet earth, a mix of floral fragrance and woodsy intoxication. Burying his face into the fabric, he could already feel tears burning away in his eyes.   
  
I will not break down, he told himself. I cannot break down. I have to be strong. Have to be strong for the others. I cannot hide. I will find her.  
  
Instead, he let the tears pour forth freely, letting go of everything.   
  
* * *  
  
Sellie could feel that Celena's cheerfully quick chatter was her attempt to keep the air around the small group positive. Her nervousness wasn't hidden very well behind her bright smile. Still, she had to praise the woman on her trying to make a situation like this seem that everything will be alright.  
  
Even though the chances of actually fulfilling this prophecy looked rather slim.  
  
Celena led them back into the control room and offered to get some sort of edibles. As Millerna and Rouen agreed that eating would be good, Sellie passed on the suggestion. The quick breath of fresh air helped momentarily, but now the feeling of being boxed in had worsened. Even in here, one of the Crusade's largest occupancies, felt like the walls were closing in about her. She held her forehead and shut her eyes tight.  
  
She felt Rouen studying her, though she could not see his face directly.  
  
"Sellie, are you alright?" he asked.   
  
She opened her own eyes and looked into his concerned face. She tried to fake a smile. "Yeah, I'm good."  
  
He shook his head. "Don't hide this away from me, Sellie," he said with a worried tone. "I know you. Something is wrong."  
  
She could not help but smile for real this time. "Alright, I feel a *little* sick."  
  
He shifted over so that he was closer to her and placed his hand over her forehead. She removed her own hand and placed it on his thigh. Noticing that he gulped at the moment when she touched him, she smiled to herself.   
  
"Gods, Sellie! You're burning up!" he exclaimed.  
  
"No, I'm not," she denied as she removed his hand and stood up. "See, I'm…"  
  
A sharp pain entered her heart and another spell of dizziness overcame her as she could feel herself falling. Clutching her chest, she could hear Rouen cry her name as he rushed to her side and tried to catch her. He sounded and felt so far away.   
  
Celena and Millerna had entered the chamber and hurried to Rouen's side and took her collapsing body. She heard them calling her name, too, but again, it seemed like they were shouting it from a distance. She could hear herself saying that she needed to go outside just at the moment when everything turned black.  
  
* * *  
  
Darkness surrounded her.  
  
Was she still conscience inside of her own body? She couldn't feel anything in this neutral world -- nothing physical, spiritual, nor emotional. Just… emptiness.  
  
what is this?  
  
this is what will become of both our worlds soon… this is us dying…  
  
why do you say this?  
  
you have such negative thoughts racing through your head right now…  
  
what do you mean?  
  
you have repeatedly been saying to yourself that you will not be able to reach your mother in time… that you will not be able to travel to my sister world and rescue her… things like these are getting you nowhere…  
  
well, what do you expect? you throw this all in my face yesterday and expect me to be all happy and believe in myself? the only other things that i've had to worry about in my life are tests that palos gives me about politics…  
  
i am asking you to believe in yourself…  
  
excuse me?  
  
i *am* asking you to believe in yourself, sellie… you don't… and if you don't believe in yourself, then there is no hope for all of us…  
  
why do you do this to me? i can't take it…  
  
yes, you can, sellie… you *do* have the capacity to believe in yourself… you just won't let yourself…  
  
what are you talking about…  
  
you don't love yourself…  
  
what?!  
  
you heard me… must i repeat myself?  
  
i love myself…  
  
not in the sense that you need to believe in…  
  
i'm not certain i get what you're saying…  
  
it's all a continuous cycle, sellie… at this moment, you do not believe in yourself… you think that you will never see your mother again… you will begin to believe in you when you begin to love yourself…  
  
but I do love myself…  
  
you do, yes… you take care of yourself and make sure that nothing happens to you… but you haven't taken the extra step in completely loving yourself…  
  
and that is?  
  
you have to let others love you, too…  
  
are you talking nonsense, gaea? i know that people love me… my mother and my father…  
  
yes, your parents love you… but they love you as their daughter… I am talking about the love that is formed between two people…  
  
oh, like a man and a woman? soul mates?  
  
exactly… in order for you to love yourself, you must give your heart to the one you love… it is a sign of trust…  
  
are you talking about me and rouen?  
  
ah, i knew that you would understand…  
  
but i do love rouen…  
  
You love him as a friend… you have yet to realize that you are *in* love with him…  
  
and will i discover this moment?  
  
who knows? it happens at different times for different people… but you've known for awhile and so has he that you two are not normal friends… it was the same way for your parents…  
  
really?  
  
your mother realized that she was in love with your father when she was inside the belly of the zaibach empire… it was an epiphany… your father had known much before that, though he was too stubborn to actually say the words…   
  
are you saying that i'm stubborn?  
  
now there you go, putting words in my mouth again…  
  
sorry…  
  
all i am saying is that once you feel comfortable enough that you can give your heart to someone, that will be the moment that you can use your power to its full potential…  
  
is the power of atlantis linked to love?  
  
now you are catching on… now i must let you go… the others are worried about you… and i don't have the energy anymore…  
  
gaea… what's wrong with you?  
  
i'm dying, dear heart…  
  
am i dying too? i can feel something slipping away from me…  
  
what you feel is the spirit of the world dying… that is why you were having the desire to go outside… you needed to be in contact with nature… it's only temporary… for now… the sooner that you go to the mystic moon, the better…  
  
but if i leave gaea, too… won't that make it worse?  
  
it's a sacrifice that we all must make… now, go… go find tarn and get the location of your mother from him… i will send you as soon as you know where she is…   
  
but…  
  
awake!  
  
* * *  
  
* Shhh! I believe that she is waking! *  
  
"Let me see… I think that was a definite eye flutter."  
  
"Her pulse is getting slower. Her heart isn't racing anymore."  
  
"Shit, Van is going to kill me, I swear."  
  
* Calm theeself, My Lady. It was not thee's fault. *  
  
"She's my responsibility."  
  
"Shut up, she's coming to. Sellie?"  
  
The muffled voices silenced themselves as Sellie let out a low groan. As she blinked her eyes, the shadowy figures clarified to reveal Celena, Millerna, Rouen, and Dralion leaning over her. She was quickly aware that she was outside, the dewy grass soaking her back and the night air filling her lungs. She took a deep breath and sighed.  
  
* Child? Are thee alright? * Dralion asked her, his long nose sniffing her just above her head.  
  
"Mmmm… I think so… what happened?"  
  
"You started to faint," Celena said, stroking her loose black hair from her damp forehead. "Luckily, Rouen was able to catch you and call for us. You were screaming something about needing to be outside, it would make you better, then you were out of it. We took you here about ten minutes ago."  
  
Sellie's mind flashed back to her "conversation" in her dream world. "I was dying…" she whispered mindlessly.  
  
"Excuse me?" Millerna asked, arching her eyebrow.  
  
Sellie shook her head. "Where's Dad?" she changed the subject.  
  
"He's still inside the palace," Celena replied. "Reeden and Katz were just here… they went inside to go get him and the others."  
  
Sellie bolted upright, not caring for the blood rush to her head. "Tarn's going to Fanelia! He'll be there soon!"  
  
"Lie down, Sellie," Millerna forced her back to the ground. "You're still not strong enough to be up. Yes, that's what Reeden said. The townspeople are too afraid to go out in fear that they'll invoke Tarn's wrath or something." She looked up to the large draconian face just above her shoulder. "That or they don't want to mess with Dralion here."  
  
"No, we need to go now! We have to get him!"  
  
"We will… we will," Millerna said. "As soon as the others get here. Celena, can you go get some water and I'll get some towels?"  
  
The two women entered the leviship, leaving Sellie leaning against Dralion's foreleg and Rouen still next to her. She struggled to get to a decent sitting position.  
  
"Rouen…" she began.  
  
"Sellie, I was so worried about you…" he interrupted. "I didn't know what I would do if you didn't wake again."  
  
She looked into him, and, for a brief moment, saw a spark behind his eyes. She remembered what Gaea had told her in her vision, that knowing you were in love happened at different times for different people.   
  
Hmmm… maybe I'm starting to realize…  
  
"Rouen, I wanted to say thank you… for helping me,"   
  
A familiar silly grin slowly spread out on his face. "You're welcome," he replied. He took her hand into his and gently rubbed her knuckles. The warmth emitting from his fingers almost gave her strength. She no longer felt fatigued.  
  
Suddenly, Dralion's claw brought both adolescents close to his body. Before Sellie could protest that Rouen was leaning into her, the dragon mentally silenced her.  
  
* I smell someone coming. Someone not among our group, * he said urgently.   
  
Sellie rearranged herself so that she could peek out behind him, examining the area for any kind of movement.   
  
And she saw it.  
  
One of the many doors entering the Cassian palace opened slowly, it making a slight creaking noise as it widened enough for a person to pass through. Sellie was expecting to see a lone soldier protecting his castle, his sword drawn and an evil glare flashing from his eye.  
  
Instead, she saw Quidam, weapon-less and a confused look on his face.  
  
* * *  
  
A burning sensation raced through her core, an energy filled with anger and hurt. Rage? Betrayal? Fury? This emotion had no words to describe exactly what she feeling.   
  
Before she knew what she was doing, she heard Dralion and Rouen crying her name to stop. In a flash, she was now on her feet and across the courtyard, running at full sprint towards Quidam. She found herself shoving him back into the door that he just left, an unfamiliar blade across his throat. He was holding his hands up in a surrendering pose, careful not move underneath her sword.  
  
"Sellie… you're… alive!" he cried.  
  
"Like you really care," she growled.   
  
"How can this be?" he asked. "I saw you fall out the Myriad and…"  
  
"Luck has always been on my side," she replied snidely. "Now, are you going to try my skills at sword fighting? Because I will assure you that I have been trained by my father and the general of his army."  
  
"I'm here to help you, Sellie," he said.  
  
"Are you kidding me?!" she exclaimed, slamming him back into the wall. "After everything that you put my family and me through?"  
  
"Sellie!" she could hear her father's voice shouting in the distance. She simply ignored it.  
  
"That wasn't me," he retorted. "That was my father's work. I was just along for the ride."  
  
"And you didn't do anything?"   
  
"But I did! I told you where your mother was on the leviship!"  
  
"And then you proceeded to kiss me?!" she yelled. "How is *that* helping me?!"  
  
* Sellie! *  
  
He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Look, I know what you're probably feeling right now. I felt the same when I lost my mother…"  
  
"I didn't *lose* my mother," Sellie interrupted. "She was taken harshly away from me."   
  
"Sellie…"   
  
The soft baritone voice of her father spoke calmly from behind her. "Sellie, what are you doing?"   
  
"Taking my chance and seizing the moment," she said coldly into Quidam's face, not taking her eyes off of him.  
  
"And this is what you want?" Van asked. "Blood on your hands?"  
  
"That's the only way it'll be better!" she screamed back at him.  
  
"Selmé, I thought I had raised you better than this," he murmured, his voice coming closer. "You should know that revenge is never the way to go. I know you. You have Hitomi's spirit inside you. You love the sword but you hate to fight." Suddenly, a strong hand touched her shoulder and squeezed. "This isn't the path you want to follow. Put down the sword."  
  
She glanced at her father's bare hand on her. She could see so many scars across his fingers, some he had received when he was no older than she was now, while some were more recent. He speaks from experience that you shouldn't take revenge like this… her mental voice whispered. Believe in him… believe in yourself…  
  
She sighed, took one long look at Quidam's glistening and frightened face. Though she wanted to hurt him so badly for what he had done to her, she knew that this wasn't the right way. Slowly, she lowered her sword and tossed it to the ground.  
  
Van exhaled and hugged awkwardly. "Now, concerning other matters…" he said, turning his full attention onto the relaxing boy in front of him. "Why are you here, Quidam?"  
  
Quidam adjusted himself, but seemed to back away from him. "I defied my father," he finally said after what was an eternity of silence.   
  
"Defied? How?" Allen suddenly spoke. Sellie turned around to see the rest of the Crusade crew standing behind Van and her. I was so thirsty for vengeance, I didn't notice anything else, she thought.  
  
He looked at the Knight Caeli. "We got in a fight… shortly after we turned around after…" he paused, staring at Sellie. "…after Lord Van and Lady Sellie *left* our leviship." He looked down at his feet. "I wanted to go back to make sure that Sellie was alright, but Father said it didn't matter… since we were going to leave you out in the desert anyway. I was against it from the beginning. I didn't understand why it was necessary for him to kidnap innocent people while it wasn't even his fight. He said that it was the sacrifices that had to be made in order to expand Cassia. I didn't want that." He stopped again, then picked up after clearing his throat. "So we stopped here and he dropped me off. He said he didn't have the time to deal with me right now and he couldn't bring me along to Fanelia in fear that I may screw up things again."  
  
"Why is he going to Fanelia?" Van urgently asked.  
  
"Ashira told him to go there," Quidam shrugged. "She said it was like the epicenter of energy required to get such a large group to the Mystic Moon. Something about a Drag-Energist, too, that he needed."  
  
"Wait a minute," Van held up his hand to stop him. "He spoke to Ashira?"  
  
"Yeah," the Cassian prince answered. "She gave him this weird-looking radio in his office. She's got one too so they can keep in contact."  
  
"You mean, she's got one on the Mystic Moon?"  
  
"Yeah, with her wherever she is."  
  
Quickly, Sellie formed what appeared to be the same idea her father was thinking in her own head. She glanced over at Van, seeing the glimmer of hope that faintly shone in his dark irises.   
  
"Where is this radio?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm and cool.   
  
"It's in his office… down the hallway in there… he didn't bring it with him on…" he replied, pointing inside the palace.   
  
Van made no hesitation. He brushed past both Sellie and Quidam and opened the door, disappearing into the room. She looked at the others, then hastily followed.  
  
He soon found what he was looking for, remembering the room that Tarn had asked him into when he had suggested the proposal between Sellie and his son. He kicked open the door, not even bothering to twist the knob to see if it was unlocked.   
  
It had remained almost untouched since he had been there the previous night. Papers upon his desk had been shifted slightly, but no real changes. The only problem that was bothering him that there was no obvious machine that could pass as a radio. He began opening up drawers and emptying them out carelessly.   
  
"Where is it?" he shouted at Quidam.  
  
The young boy nervously stepped forward and stooped down just below where the chair would be pushed in and rolled up the small green rug.  
  
"It's underneath the floor here," he pointed out, sticking his finger in a tiny hole and pulling up the wood. "It's his secret hiding place that he showed me only a few weeks ago."   
  
He buried his arms in the darkness and pulled out a simple black-metal contraption. It had a single speaker, a few knobs with foreign writing above each one, and a detachable part with another, smaller speaker on it. He set it upon the desk and stood back.  
  
The small crowd of people circled around the device, staring at it with curiosity. It had a familiar design about it, but looked much more futuristic then any kind of machinery seen on Gaea.  
  
"Have you used this before?" Allen inquired.  
  
"I haven't personally," Quidam answered. "Ashira said that she made some modifications on it and gave it to him to keep in touch. But I've seen Father use it several times. He turned the knobs to this character." He demonstrated the fashion. "Then you push the button on the side of the mouthpiece and talk to her, and let go when you finish speaking so you can hear her response." He tried handing it to Van, but he refused it and pushed away.  
  
"I can't talk to her," he said. "Ashira would recognize my voice and would suspect something was threatening her. She might do something to Hitomi." He went quiet. "You do it."  
  
Quidam's eyes widened in fear. "I can't do it," he whispered.  
  
"You must," Sellie spoke up. "You're the only one who can help us."  
  
He looked up and caught her gaze. His fingers nervously rubbed the mouthpiece as he stared into her.  
  
"Look," she added. "You were saying earlier that you wanted to help us. I would be more than grateful if you can get Ashira's location on the Mystic Moon." She touched his hand, hearing a short intake of air from either Van or Rouen. "Please."  
  
At the simple touch of her fingers to his, Sellie could feel his thoughts. His pulse did not waver as he stared into her, giving no signs of lying. He was truly sincere about this.  
  
He sighed loudly and resigned into an affirmation nodding. Van signaled for everyone but Sellie and Allen to leave the room in order to keep silence. Quidam took a deep breath, then pressed the button. "Ashira? Are you there?"  
  
There was some minor interference crackle as the radio waves traveled across the reaches of space. Sellie held her breath in her lungs as she waited impatiently for a response. Van was getting irritable in his uncomfortable chair. Allen stood against the wall, his arms crossed in his chest, his face showing no kind of expression.  
  
Finally, a voice came back across the radio frequency. A voice that almost stopped Van's heart when he recognized her.  
  
-- "Hello?" -- Hitomi's faint voice spoke through the machine.  
  
Van immediately bolted upright from his seat. "Hitomi!" he yelled. Allen was swiftly by his side, trying to hold him back from taking the mouthpiece from Quidam.  
  
"Shut up!" he hissed at the King.  
  
-- "Hello? Is someone there? Over? -- she continued.  
  
Quidam looked up at both Van and Allen to await further instructions. Allen mouthed "talk-to-her."  
  
Before the young boy could make another interaction, another female voice appeared in the speaker.  
  
-- "Sorry, Hitomi. That must be the work-team calling us. I'll deal with them." --  
  
-- "Oh, alright, I'll be waiting outside." -- With that, Hitomi's voice disappeared, only to be replaced with someone all too familiar.  
  
-- "How dare you call me when she is sleeping directly in the tent, Tarn!" -- Ashira snarled through the radio.   
  
"I'm… I'm sorry, Lady Ashira," Quidam stumbled.   
  
-- "Who is this? This isn't Tarn." --  
  
"No… it's his son, Quidam," he answered.   
  
-- "Where's your father, boy? --  
  
He looked at Van, who had settled himself down. He drew the shape of a leviship in the air.  
  
"He's out in the Myriad, preparing to go to Fanelia right now," he said. "He sent me in here to speak to you about specifics in the next step."  
  
-- "You're in Cassia still? A bit behind schedule, aren't we?" --  
  
"We arrived home late."  
  
-- "Did you have trouble with Fanel or something?" --  
  
Quidam looked up to see Van's face. "No, no trouble at all," he lied, not even flinching once. "Just dropped him off in the middle of the desert, then turned around."  
  
-- "You better leave soon, otherwise, you're going to miss the pickup." --  
  
"Yes ma'am," he replied. "Just need the specifics, then we will on our way."  
  
Ashira sighed. -- "Alright," -- she said. -- "You have to be in Fanelia before sunrise. That's when I'm coming to get you all. Specifically, you have to be in the forest behind the castle where the shrine to Escaflowne is. An air attack will do fine, though you'll have to go done one leviship at a time and may lose some men in the battle. Fanel's army has grown, so I've heard." --  
  
"No problem," Quidam replied smoothly. "Sacrifices will have to be made for the good of the cause."  
  
-- "Right. I'll only be able to take a small portion of your men. I won't be strong enough for the entire army… yet..." --  
  
"Yeah…" he said slowly. Van grimaced at the thought.  
  
-- "…make sure that everyone is ready and aware of what is going to happen. I'm not sure if Tarn had explained it to them." -- Ashira continued.  
  
"Where are we going?" Quidam asked, a little too quickly for comfort.  
  
There was a pause at the other end of the radio. Sellie looked at her father and Allen nervously, in fear that Ashira somehow knew of their plan.  
  
-- "Excuse me?" --  
  
"Sorry, I was just curious where we were going so that the men could be prepared for a certain kind of climate," Quidam answered. "Father asked me to ask you. He said that he has a strange curiosity of the Mystic Moon."  
  
-- "Oh." -- Another hesitation. -- "Right, smart boy you are. Thinking ahead. We are in Mexico… Yucatán, to be exact… at the Temple of Kukulkan in Chichén Itza. So it'll be warm." --  
  
You got that down? Van mouthed at Allen, who was furiously scribbling away on a piece of parchment. The Knight Caeli nodded as he finished the last word with a flare.  
  
"Good, I will relay the information to my father then, My Lady," the young Prince finished saying to the recipient at the other end of the line.   
  
-- "You do that, boy. Tell Tarn I'll be seeing him soon." -- With a click, the radio went silent, Ashira's voice and interference as well.   
  
The stillness remained in the air as Quidam wordlessly hung the portable mouthpiece onto the radio's box. Van leaned over across the desk and took the information from Allen.  
  
"I need to go find Gaea," he muttered as he left the room.   
  
Allen glanced over at Sellie, studying her with his sapphire eyes. He placed a hand on top of hers and squeezed.   
  
"How are you holding up?" he asked gently.   
  
Sellie's eyes shifted over to Quidam, who was staring down at the dead radio. "I'm good," she said unenthusiastically.   
  
"Well," Allen replied, in a tone plainly saying that he did not believe her. "Let's all go outside to see what the next step is."  
  
* * *  
  
Gaea had already arrived by the time that Sellie, Allen, and Quidam had exited the palace. She recognized the large emerald and gold robe that hung from the tiny woman's frame as she stood next to Van alongside the large marble fountain. The rest of the Crusade crew were sitting on the ramp into the leviship, while everyone else remained inside.  
  
She walked over into the conversation as Allen walked Quidam over to the crew. The look plastered on the boy's was fear and confusion to what was to happen next. Sellie didn't know that answer either. Ashira said that she was meeting Tarn at sunrise, which would be in only a few hours to her own knowledge.   
  
Fanelia was a full day flight's away. There would be no way that they could reach her home in time to stop Tarn and go to the Mystic Moon.  
  
"…this is where Hitomi must be…" Gaea was saying as Sellie approached the discussion. Her fingers had touched the rippling water, transforming its translucent plane into a foreign environmental terrain that must have been from the Mystic Moon. On a peninsula jutting into a large bay, a bright light illuminated the spot that Ashira had told them where they were located.  
  
Where her mother was located.  
  
"…now…" Gaea continued. "You are going to have to intercept Tarn's men somehow. They must not reach Fanelia. And you still have to get the Drag-Energist in order to get to Earth."  
  
"How are we going to get there?" Sellie asked, surprising her father with her silent arrival. "I mean, the Crusade can't get us there in time."  
  
"Not a problem," her ancestor told her with a smile on her face. "I need to save my energy in order to get you through the Dimensional Gap, so I can't send you directly there right now. But Dralion can take a small number much faster than a leviship."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
* I can ride the Dragon's Wind, * he answered. * It is a magical strong air stream that allow us flying-dragons and our land-dragon cousins to travel much more rapidly than normal. If we leave momentarily, I can get thee and company to thee homeland just in time. *  
  
Sellie could see the opaqueness in her Mind's eye as these confused thoughts entered her head. "But only to stop Tarn, right? I mean, Gaea said that we still have a few days until the actual destruction of both our worlds."  
  
The Goddess shook her head. "No, Sellie," she replied softly with a grave look plastered on her face. "I was mistaken, as I have already explained to your father." Gaea paused, and Sellie took that second to see Van's anger and fear flash in his eyes. She was suddenly afraid of what her ancestor would say to her.  
  
"I told you that the date of this destruction would take place on May 12, 2016... But that date does not match up with the calendar year that Gaea revolves around. So when I said that that date would arrive in five days, I didn't realize that those days had already passed on Earth." She hung her head low. "It's a side effect of what is happening. I don't know everything. I'm… forgetting things like this that are crucially important. I'm… sorry."  
  
Sellie looked up at her father. "I don't understand," she asked.  
  
Van unclenched his fist slowly. "It means…" he uttered in a low voice. "…that we don't have that much time. That Time on our worlds are different. That May 12, 2016 on the Mystic Moon is actually White, 23rd Moon here."  
  
"The 23rd Moon?" Sellie gasped in realization.   
  
That's tomorrow.  
  
"The Temple that Ashira mentioned…" Gaea added. "At the very top is an observatory that the Mayans used to look at the stars and chart astronomy. It is the center of where the exchange will take place. It is also the only entry and exit to the rooms inside of the Temple where you will most likely find Ashira and Hitomi."  
  
Van nodded his head, though his face still did not show the emotion he was obviously carrying inside. He moved to walked towards the dragon, not hiding his urge to get going very well, but Gaea grasped his forearm.  
  
"Who is going with you to Earth?" she asked. "Dralion can only manage a few people on his back."  
  
With every word that Gaea spoke, it seemed that all hope was rapidly draining from Sellie. Believe in myself, she thought and let out a mental huff. How can I do that when everything is lost?  
  
"I am going," Allen announced. "Though I have pledged my allegiance with one king, I'm sure that he won't mind that I do it for another." He stood next to Van.  
  
"I am, too," Gaddes shouted from the Crusade, standing up and bringing up Celena with him, her arms encircling his waist. "I can't allow my future brother-in-law to go and get himself killed, now, can't I?"  
  
Gasps of surprise and joy escaped from the other crew members as they congratulated the couple. He kissed Celena on the cheek and joined Allen's side.   
  
"Hold up!" Celena barked at him, leaping off of the gang way and butting her way in between her brother and fiancée. "If you think for one minute that I'm letting the two men I love the most leave me, you guys have another thing coming." She faced Gaea. "I'm going too."  
  
Before either man could protest, she stomped on Allen's foot and dug her nails in Gaddes' arm. "If either of you say one word that basically means I'm not going anywhere, you will be sorry you ever laid eyes on me," she hissed.  
  
Gaea looked into the eyes of the four adults and one child, her green eyes sparkling despite her tired-looking appearance. "Alright," she breathed. "As soon as either Van or Sellie grabs the Drag-Energist, I will automatically send you five to the Temple of Kukulkan."  
  
"And Quidam," Van murmured.  
  
"What?!" Sellie cried.  
  
"What?!" Rouen shouted from the Crusade gangway.   
  
Van lowered his voice. "He's only coming with us to Fanelia, not to the Mystic Moon. He could prove useful with Tarn."  
  
Sellie could not believe her ears. Not only is the son of the man who could be destroying her life forever is joining their quest, but her father had stopped her from trying to kill him.   
  
Gaea nodded at him and turned to Dralion. "Can you manage six passengers?" she asked.  
  
The dragon closed his eyes and lowered his head. * Aye, My Lady, * he replied and settled down on the ground for the humans to mount.   
  
Van held out his hand to his daughter. "Sellie, you'll go in the front," he said. "Allen, you go behind her. Then Celena, Gaddes, Quidam, then myself."  
  
It was awkward to sit on Dralion's ridged back once more. This time, there were more people hanging on to her as she held tightly onto his neck. As soon as Van fixated himself at the end, he shouted up to the dragon. "We're ready!"  
  
Dryden, Millerna, Rouen, and the remains of the crew raised themselves to watch the liftoff of the diminished rescue group into the night air. Rouen's eyes remained only on Sellie. When she caught his gaze, she waved goodbye and mouthed the only words she could think of at the moment:  
  
I love you.  
  
Before she could catch his reaction, Dralion had already leapt into the air and was winging his way heavenwards. Sellie clutched tightly to his scales as Celena's arms tightened about her waist.   
  
Dralion let out a roar of joy. * The Dragon's Wind is here and it is stronger than ever! * he cried. * Hang on! *  
  
Sellie was about to shout back to her father, but the sudden blast of air into her face silenced her. As the dragon merged with the current, it seemed that he had elongated and had actually became *one* with the wind.  
  
She could no longer see, just a blur of darkness passing before her eyes. All she knew was that they were traveling at an incredible rate towards what could determine all of their fates.  
  
She just hoped that they would reach home in time.   
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
EGAD. I didn't realize how long this chapter was going to be. Holy crap Batman!!! It took me a little less than a month to write, since now I've actually had *work* to work on. And finals are next week. Eep. Two tests in anatomy and art history, and an interactive thing for advanced computer applications. This little kat-chan is NOT getting any sleep this weekend.  
  
Since this will be my last update until December probably, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! My birthday is coming up, and I'm going to be a whopping 20 years old! YAY.  
  
This chapter's title comes from the song "Worlds Apart" by Bruce Springsteen. 


	14. Send Me On My Way

Date. 12.01.2002  
Time. 9.47 pm Pacific Time  
Music. Random mix on my win amp. Right now, its Tori Amos singing "A Sorta Fairytale" and leading into "Weapon" by Matthew Good Band.  
Chapter 14  
  
Copyright. If I owned Escaflowne, don't you think that I would make this into an actual sequel? Yeah, I thought so.  
  
Author's Notes. *sigh* Well, I've been back home for four days and already I'm bored beyond belief. I painted a character I created in Photoshop, I beat Monkey Island, I've gone Christmas shopping, seen movies… hmmm… maybe I should go get one of those JOB thingies. Anyhoo, I wrote the next two chapters out in notes on my flight over here so I'm starting the actual typing of it. Hopefully, this one will be up soon. I hope.  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 14. Send Me on My Way  
  
* * *  
  
Her senses were impaired. She could no longer see clearly. Everything was an utter gray mass of blurriness that rushed past her. She could not make out sounds nor understand things being said. All that could be heard was the screaming wind that howled through her ears.   
  
Sellie lowered herself closer to Dralion, trying to escape the current, and shut her eyes tightly. Her head pounded at her temple, a faint burning growing inside of her mind. She chose to ignore it and trudge on with the mission, being the reliable soldier that her father wants her to be. That she wanted to be.  
  
The pain in her mind grew as time passed on. She did not know if this headache was born because of the incredible rate that they were traveling at, or that its source spawned from someplace else.  
  
She wished that it was because of the speed and feared that it was something else.  
  
Because it *was* something else.  
  
The vision hit her at full force. She had no time to warn others, though she didn't know *how* she would, and sank deeper into her premonition.   
  
The first sensation was the heat. It surrounded her, moved in and out of her, filled her completely. It wasn't fire, though the temperature could rival with it. The thick smell of sulfur filled her nostrils, making her feel queasy and nauseous. If Death had a stench, it would definitely be this.   
  
Her sight finally cleared from the darkness she stood upon. A deep red glow blazed in the distance, giving her a faint outline of the environment.   
  
She stood on what appeared to be a crude stone pillar, its diameter only being about twenty feet across. She was enclosed in something, a giant stone room or cavern. The heat and glow both came from below, an abyss of nothingness.  
  
Suddenly, her pillar shuddered with such might that it knocked her off her feet. With a loud 'oof,' Sellie landed harshly on her side, dust and ash rising about her. A burst of liquid rock erupted on all sides of the pillar, bringing down parts of the stone structure along with it. Soon, her platform was half of its original size, shrinking even further with each passing second.  
  
Desperately, Sellie looked up, giving a brief prayer to the gods. With the quaking, the outer building's ceiling came tumbling down into the river of magma below. An oculus appeared, jagged and small, but just large enough to fit a small Draconian.   
  
She spread her wings, her first time doing so on her own. In that fleeting second, the exhilaration of it felt like such release to Sellie. She jumped to her feet and leapt into the air. However, the sheer hotness of the lava burned her feathers, so much to the point that she thought her own wings were on fire. She returned to her pillar, wings still emerged from her shoulder blades. She hugged herself in defeat, staring down at the glowing red below.  
  
Sellie…  
  
A voice called to her in her head, both familiar and not. She looked around, tears flowing freely from her eyes down her sooty face. Her sight finally spotted a figure on the edge of the building, where its floor was still intact. The room was smoky, making it hard to recognize whoever was calling her name. She tried to yell back, but the words were caught in her throat.  
  
The person shifted under the changing pressure of the lava, it threatening to erupt once more and take down the pillar. Sellie saw a hand extend from the shadowed body, trying to reach for her own. As she extended hers, a brilliant white light illuminated from behind her savior, swallowing whoever it was and herself.  
  
* * *  
  
Sellie bolted upright, her eyes wide and sweat glistening down the sides of her face. She gasped for fresh air, the scent of her vision still lingering. It was only a dream… she thought. Or was it?  
  
It took her a minute that they were no longer in the howling Dragon's Wind. She recognized the local Fanelian mountain chain that surrounded her valley home and city, its rocky contour faint in the lightening sky. Dralion was still flying strong, his wings beating against the normal zephyr that traveled in this region.  
  
"Are you alright, Sellie?" she heard Allen ask her, his voice hushed.  
  
She nodded in response. "I guess I wasn't used to traveling that way," she lied.  
  
"It definitely felt weird," he admitted. "Looks like we're here."  
  
Sellie knew this route quite well from the air. When she, Van, and Hitomi would accompany Allen and Celena to Asturia several times a year, she would stand in the front and watch each take off and landing, a hidden tradition for her. She loved seeing the sometimes snow-capped mountain peaks meeting the blue sky, or the whiteness reflecting the sun's first or last rays of light.  
  
This time, several leviships obscured her perfect view.  
  
She counted six ships, hovering at different levels over where Fanelia's capital lay. Most remained above the mountains while two of them were lowering ever closer to the valley city.  
  
None of the ships were the Myriad.  
  
"Tarn must have already landed!" Van shouted from the back. "We have to make sure the others don't land also!"  
  
* Leave that to me! * Dralion replied, a growl escaping from his long throat. * Hold on to me! *  
  
Within a second after his last word, the dragon beat his wings stronger and headed towards the landing leviship. At remarkable speed, he narrowed in on the side of the ship, twisting his body at the last moment and slammed into its outer hull with incredible force. Sellie wrapped her arms around his neck as much as she could so that she would not be thrown of by the collision.   
  
Because of Dralion's weight, the first leviship was knocked off of its trajectory path and flew directly into one of the neighboring mountains, detonating on impact. Before Sellie could shout out an exclamation of joy, Dralion was already targeting the next ship.  
  
He pulled his muscular, scaly body up, crashing into the leviship at a diagonal angle. He dug his claws into the metallic skin, ripping out vital electrical wire. He flapped his wings and moved over to the right levistone, snapping his jaws about the thick metal strip that held it in place and cutting through it with ease. The stone fell to the ground below and the second leviship lost its balance. It sank lower towards the foothills and buried itself at the base of the mountain, smoke billowing from its fires.  
  
"Dralion! Look out!" Sellie heard Gaddes shout.  
  
The dragon whipped his long neck around just in time to see men shooting cannons from the accompanying leviships. He flipped in mid-air, his stomach now exposed.   
  
As one of the well-aimed cannonballs landed in his chest, he clutched it in his claws, pillowing the blow by backing up. He flew up to that leviship and wedged his caught prize back into the cannon, using his vice-like jaws and closing in its mouth. He darted away just in time as the third leviship exploded from the inside.   
  
Dralion let out a triumphant roar and flew towards the fourth leviship. He landed heavily onto the top of the main cabin and stuck his giant head in through the front glass windows. As the glass shattered, a deep rumbling started from his belly. Sellie could feel the tremors travel underneath the scales and up his long neck. Soon, she saw the flames burning through the roof and the smoke curling from Dralion's nostrils as he pulled his head out from the deck. He then proceeded to tear out the levistone of this ship as well and watch it lower into the mountains.  
  
In a matter of minutes, the flying-dragon had successfully destroyed five of the six leviships that Tarn had brought with him, Sellie mused. Maybe there is hope.  
  
However, Dralion had hovered in his position for a moment too long, watching the ship go down. The final leviship shot its anchor towards him in a desperate attempt of an attack. Its sharp metal claws ripped through the thin leather material in his wing and tore a long slash.  
  
Dralion snarled in both pain and anger. He flapped his injured wing, but it responded poorly in the wind. He would not be able to fly properly.   
  
Sellie thought for a moment that she and Van should use their own wings and evacuate everyone, knowing it was, however, futile. But Dralion managed to keep himself level and glide uneasily to the clearing behind the castle. He turned his head to the last leviship and breathed in deeply. Another shudder traveled up his throat, this one bigger than the last, and an immense fireball, the size of a giant yak, shot directly at its command central. Sellie covered her ears from the sound of the blast.  
  
Tarn's ship had landed on the large patio where her mother's water fountain was. Sellie sucked in a large gulp of air as she see saw black smoke curling up from the destruction. It looked like the castle was still in shape, but smaller buildings around it were destroyed by the falling leviship debris. Several soldiers had crossbows aimed and swords drawn, keeping many of the palace servants in order. She recognized all of them, each man and woman with their faces covered in dark soot.  
  
But no sign of Tarn.  
  
* Be careful!* Dralion announced as he neared closer to the land. His tattered wing fought against the drafts of wind, straining to keep somewhat of a decent landing. However, he was coming in at an angle, making it tough to keep it stable.  
  
As soon as he was making some contact into the ground, Dralion flowed from flying into running as smoothly as he could. Though there were major stumbles and moments where Sellie thought that she and the others would be tossed up over his head, he managed to stop.  
  
* Go! Quickly, go! *   
  
Sellie hadn't realized that her father, Allen, and Gaddes had already dismounted, had removed Quidam, and were helping Celena down. She shook her head and scanned her surroundings. Her eyes carried to the soldiers running towards them, and others heaving a giant weapon from the Myriad to their landing direction.  
  
"Sellie!" Van shouted, grabbing her hand.  
  
"Dralion!" she cried up to the dragon's head.  
  
* I'll be fine, Child, * he replied hastily. * I'll make a path for thee escape! Go! *  
  
"But…" she started, but was quickly silenced when Van pulled her from Dralion and dragged her around to his hind area.  
  
The dragon crouched low to the ground and crawled slowly, hissing and growling at Tarn's men. Van whispered at everyone that if they had a weapon, draw it. Sellie gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, it being the same one she had attack Quidam with.   
  
The soldiers shouted out orders, releasing arrows at Dralion, but the weapons merely bounced off his rock-hard scales. While they were reloading, he found his attacking opportunity. He knocked about ten men with his head, sending them airborne several yards away. He whipped out a claw and swiped it across their chests, ripping open the armor of the next advancement.   
  
Sellie saw the open path just as Van shouted at the others to make a run for it. Still holding onto her hand, they ran forward, quickly followed by Allen and Celena, then Quidam with Gaddes bringing in the rear.  
  
The five remaining soldiers that held the servants captive left their posts and progressed towards their small group. Their swords clashing, Van punched his opponent in the face and elbowed the enemy right next to him. Sellie lowered herself and slid her leg into another soldier, tripping him. Celena bent down and helped her to her feet, then raced to the servants held hostage.  
  
"Run! Get out of here!" she screamed, waving her arms at them. Taking no longer than another second, the servants scattered, most of them into the palace. Two remained, tending to a fallen man, that, as Sellie approached closer to, recognized.  
  
"Palos!" she cried as she fell to her knees.   
  
"Lady Selmé!" the old man managed to choke out. Sellie grabbed his hands and squeezed them tightly.  
  
An arrow had punctured his lower stomach with it standing upright, blood spilled forth uncontrollably. A younger woman had removed her apron and held it to the wound, but it did not help much. He was breathing heavily and his wrinkled face was extremely pale.  
  
The fighting behind them had stopped and Van approached the still group. "Palos," he uttered, his face sweaty and blank. He stooped down and took one of his Advisor's hands. "What happened?"  
  
"That man… Tarn…" Palos coughed out. "He took… Lady Merle… to Escaflowne's shrine…" A tear ran down his cheek. "I'm sorry, my boy… I tried… but I couldn't stop them…"  
  
Van shook his head, trying to hold back his own tears. "No, Palos, its not your fault," he said strongly.  
  
The old man smiled weakly and looked to Sellie. "My dear child…" he said. "I wished that… that I could see your reign as well…" he coughed again. "I wanted to be the Advisor for three generations…"  
  
"You still can," Sellie pleaded. "You know how I am, Palos… you've been my teacher… I need your help… your guidance…"  
  
A chuckle managed to escape his throat. "You'll do fine, Sellie," he said. "I know you will…" His voice faded on his last word and closed his eyes. The grip on both Van and Sellie's hands weakened.  
  
"Palos?" she whispered. He didn't answer her.  
  
Tears trickled down her face as she hid it into his robes. Van folded Palos' hands over his chest and touched Sellie on the back.  
  
"Sellie…" he said.  
  
The young girl pushed herself up and wiped away her tear-stained face, trying to retain a cool exterior.  
  
"I know, Dad," she replied smoothly. "We must finish the mission." She bent down and picked up the sword she had dropped. Celena breathed deep and followed her, as did Gaddes, Allen, and a force Quidam. Van watched them for a moment, then leaned over his Advisor and kissed him on the forehead, paying his respects.  
  
"Watch over Sellie from where you now rest, my old friend," he uttered in prayer. He looked at the remaining servants. "Where are the Twins?" he asked hurriedly as he raised to his feet.  
  
"Merle hid them with her attendants, My Lord," one of the women spoke. "They are safe in the palace."  
  
"Go now, find them," he ordered them. "Go down underneath the palace and take the passage to the catacombs in the mountains."  
  
They nodded, and Van ran to the hidden path where the others had gone ahead. He could hear Dralion's roaring in the distance, but his heart beat wildly in his chest. They were nearing the shrine now  
  
Finally, his group was in his sight, only a hundred yards or so from where the path would empty into Escaflowne's clearing. He pushed past Allen and raced up to Sellie.  
  
Her posture was straight, almost too forced to be in a natural position. She's hiding her grief, he thought.   
  
"Sellie…" he said again.  
  
"I'm fine," she replied shortly. He touched her again, but she pulled away.  
  
"I'm *fine*!" she snapped, then ran off the path and into the forest. He sighed, motioned to Allen to stop, then chased after her.  
  
"Sellie!" he hissed, trying to keep his voice low and pushing back tree branches that swung into his face. She made no effort to stop. He lunged forward, grabbing her shoulder and whirling her around to see the devastation on her face.  
  
"What if there is no hope to save Mom?!" she whispered hysterically. "Palos is gone because of me… what if Mom dies too?!"  
  
"I don't ever want to hear those words come from you, Selmé," he said firmly. "Ever. Not now. You mustn't give up hope, especially you. If you gave up, what is there to believe in?"  
  
She stared at him, her lower lip trembling, then lowered her head and looked at the ground. He lifted her chin with his finger.  
  
"Besides, I believe that the dead never really leave us, do they?"  
  
She let a single tear fall before she wiped her face and nodded. Her mind reflected to when Varie and Folken helped her in the Crusade. She sucked in a quick breath and followed.  
  
* * *  
  
Their party had remained silent and watching as Van and Sellie regrouped in the hidden path. There were two ways that approached the shrine of Escaflowne: the main road, wide enough for the guymelef to walk to and from the resting place without hitting into the trees, and the other, the secret, hidden path that Hitomi would sometimes run on. It would exit near the mouth of the road as well.   
  
Trudging through the underbrush, Sellie listened for Dralion. His roars were still strong, but not as common. He's probably defeated those soldiers and keeping on the look out for others, she thought to herself.  
  
Soon, they were nearing the top of the hill where Escaflowne resided. The trees were thinning and she could hear voices muffled close by. Van motioned for them to duck down as he got into a crouching position. He crept and held up his hand to stop the others from following him.   
  
He lifted his head, just enough so that he could see just above the crest and scan for the enemies positions. It was gut-wrenching for those endless moments, to watch his eyes dart back and forth as he familiarized himself with the upcoming battlefield. Finally, he moved slowly back towards them.  
  
"There's about fifteen men," he whispered. "I couldn't get a clear view of where everyone is. No sign of Tarn. Merle is tied to Folken's monument with two men guarding her."  
  
"Now what?" Gaddes asked hushed. "A surprise attack isn't going to cut it."  
  
"It's the only plan that I can come up with," Van snapped back in a whisper. "If anyone can come up with…"  
  
"We're wasting time," Allen interrupted. "The sun is going to rise soon, Ashira will be here, and she'll be a lot harder to deal with than soldiers."  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't say that we're *that* easy," a spiteful voice softly spoke. Sellie looked up to see five archers, three with bows and two with crossbows, but all pointing arrows at each one of their heads. She could see a faint glint on the metal arrowhead aimed at hers. The sun will be up soon and all will be lost.  
  
"Drop your weapons," the lead archer commanded. "Then rise to your feet with hands behind your heads." Sellie looked at her father for some sort of glimmer in his eye for an attack, but his eyes told her to let go of her sword and follow their orders.   
  
They pushed each one of them into the clearing, then circled around them, bowstrings still taunt and arrows waiting to be released.   
  
"Well done," Tarn said, clapping his hands. He emerged from behind Escaflowne and signaled for five soldiers to move towards the guymelef. "Your dragon has destroyed most of my fleet. Nice touch, Fanel, using the strongest creature on Gaea and the symbol of the Fanelians." He slowly strolled towards the circle. "But only to end here when you have come so far."  
  
In this time of last minute thoughts, Sellie concentrated her mind to reach the dragon. Dralion… she called mentally.  
  
"And look! You've stopped in Cassia. And even returned my son to me," Tarn stated. "Let me guess, he helped you use the radio?"  
  
Van glared at him, but remained silent.  
  
"Father!" Quidam protested, pushing forward, but Van grabbed him. "This isn't the way."  
  
"It's amazing that your own children can help you out sometimes, wouldn't you say, Fanel?" Tarn continued, ignoring his son's pleas. "Even if you don't ask them, they'll act out your plan."  
  
Dralion… please help us…   
  
"But then again, Quidam," Tarn pondered, his back facing them. "You *did* betray me, didn't you?"   
  
I need you…  
  
"Gren," he continued. "If you would."  
  
The snap of the crossbow was only a fraction of a second, but as it would replay in front of Sellie's eyes endlessly, it would seem eternal. Quidam's face faded from his expression of hate to confusion in that fraction as the small arrow entered his upper torso and exited the other side. He looked at Sellie with such sad eyes as he fell to the ground, lifeless.  
  
"You bastard!" Van shouted. He used the advantage where the other soldiers were caught off guard and slammed into them. Another arrow was release, but shot aimlessly into the grass. Allen pulled the arrow out from a soldier's bow and slid the sharp head across his throat. Gaddes punched another man in the face several times before he fell down.  
  
"Stop!"   
  
Tarn had moved himself over to the monuments and was holding a wicked dagger underneath Merle's chin.  
  
"I would stop if you don't want your cat to be in pain, Fanel," he growled, digging it deeper into her skin. She cried out and whimpered.  
  
One look from his childhood friend's tortured face was all he needed. Van raised his hands and the two remaining soldiers that were not hit grabbed his arms and held them back. The one that Gaddes had punched was holding his broken nose and crawling towards Tarn and Merle.  
  
"You killed your only son?" Van asked coldly.  
  
"He wasn't really my son," Tarn replied as he pulled the dagger away from Merle's throat. "Just some orphan baby I found abandoned in the kingdom. He looked like me, so why not pick him up and not go through the whole messy process?" He glanced at the two soldiers holding Van and nodded his head for them to move away. They let him go and walked towards Tarn, picked up their dropped weapons, and aimed them once again at their party.  
  
Just when Sellie thought all hope was lost, she heard a faint whisper, almost like a gentle wind breezing through her thoughts and an answer to her prayers.  
  
* I am on my way, Child. *  
  
She was about to let out a mental sigh in relief but suddenly, she felt a tugging at her chest, very faint but noticeable. She looked around, breathing a little heavily. It looked as though Van seemed to be suffering from the same thing. He had broken his eye-contact and wavered a bit in his stance, as if he were dizzy.  
  
Tarn reached into his pack and pulled out a round, salmon-colored stone and tossed it like a ball. Though Sellie had never seen one, she knew what it was.   
  
A Drag-Energist.  
  
"This yours, Fanel? You left it over there where your feline friend is, I just figured that you didn't really need it anymore." He placed it back inside the leather satchel and walked over to the soldiers. Sellie hadn't noticed what they were doing with the guymelef, as she was too concentrated with contacting Dralion. Her eyes widened as she realized what they were doing.  
  
Three of the soldiers had pry-bars dug underneath each of the three claws that held Escaflowne's heart-jewel aloft. A metal chain was wrapped around the energist as well, its end held in the hands of the remaining two on the ground.  
  
"Magnificent 'melef you got here, Fanel," Tarn proclaimed. "A king can never receive a finer gift than an Ispano guymelef. Now, if I understand the legend of *this* particular one from texts, this giant stone in Escaflowne's breast is also an energist. One that was taken from a flying-dragon with two hearts. And that to operate the unit, only the royal blood of the Fanelian king can be used in a blood pact with the energist that goes in the bigger one.  
  
"The heart of the king and Escaflowne are connected, then. If one feels pain, then the other does as well." He pointed at one of the men, who pried his metal claw upwards. Both Van and Sellie clutched where their hearts were, though Van agonized more and fell to his knees. He coughed harshly and a thin trickle of blood escaped from his lips while Sellie felt more of a steady burn. Tarn tightened his palm into a fist to cease the prying and watched in amazement.   
  
"Interesting!" he exclaimed. "Look, Fanel! Your daughter feels your pain as you feel Escaflowne's!"  
  
Celena had knelt down in between the two, grabbing one of each of their hands. As soon as Van heard Tarn's claim, his eyes widened and he looked at Sellie, concerned with pain etched all over his sweaty face. She shook her head. I'm fine, she wanted to say, but her expression explained it instead.  
  
"What's happening to them?!" Celena cried out.  
  
"It's the blood pact that Van made when he awakened Escaflowne twenty years ago," Allen murmured. "He and Sellie are blood-related kin. If something happens to Escaflowne, they both feel it."  
  
"Very keen observation, Knight!" Tarn praised. "By now, you have found out that Ashira will be soon on her way to pick me and my men up and bring us to the Mystic Moon at sunrise. She was not aware that the original plan did not work and you survived--"  
  
As he was preaching his story, Sellie swore she could hear Dralion coming in the distance.  
  
"--so I need to find a new way to get rid of you before she arrives soon." He placed a finger on his lip in a thoughtful position. "Now what can I do that will kill instantly and that will finish off the king of Fanelia, his heir, and the legendary Escaflowne all at once?"  
  
Sellie turned to see the dragon galloping up the hill in what seemed to be slow motion. His teeth were bared as he charged towards the Cassian soldiers. She snapped her head back just in time to see Tarn give the order.  
  
"NOOOO!!!" she screamed as the remaining soldiers folded back the metal claws and the others pulled the chain wrapped around the stone. It free-fell for those endless seconds, but upon impact with the hard earth, the ancient energist shattered.  
  
A searing pain emitted from her heart spread like wildfire throughout Sellie's small body. Her eyes closed tight, all she could see was a blinding red. She was aware of Van next to her, and she could hear Dralion roar out in hurt as he collapsed just next to where she and Van had fallen. It was his heart-energist that had been broken, after all.  
  
Funny, she thought. The pain had only stayed with her momentarily and faded slowly into nothing. This doesn't feel like dying.   
  
The redness in front of her eyes disappeared and she blinked them rapidly. The swirling colors dissolved into familiar faces. She rubbed her head. She definitely had a throbbing sensation up there, but everywhere else on her body, she was fine.  
  
"Sellie? Are you alright?" Celena asked, tears trickling down her cheeks.  
  
"Mmmm…" she moaned, pushing herself up. "Yeah… I'm… fine. What happened? Where's Dad?"   
  
There was no need to answer. She looked to her left to see Van lying face down, his eyes shut. Sellie quickly flipped him over and placed her hand over his heart.  
  
No beat.  
  
No rhythm.  
  
He was dead.  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
First of all, DO NOT HATE ME. I love Van very very very much. All I am saying is… wait until the story is finished, and if you want to write mean reviews, then do so then.   
  
In other news, it was my birthday this week. I am officially 20. The crappiest age ever. No longer a teenager, but not yet 21. Blah. But now I have a new project to entertain myself. I'm making a Van Bear. Hehehe. Can we say bored? All together now! And I'm really excited because finally, tomorrow, I get to see Spirited Away on the big screen. It wasn't playing anywhere near my school, and I still have to drive up to Pasadena to see it. BUT STILL!! And finally, people are coming back from their finals so now I have someone to drive me places. Poor Bob. He's all alone in a parking lot. 


	15. Look Into My Heart

Date. 12.21.2002  
Time. 5.07 pm  
Music. Random mix on my list  
Chapter 15  
  
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne.  
  
Author's Notes. Thanks for not killing me! Sigh, I've actually gone out and done stuff this past week! The Two Towers twice within twenty-four hours of each other, Christmas shopping, belated birthday shopping for meself… Its been hectic. I hope for those of you who have seen it enjoyed the Two Towers like I did. I love Legsie-poo.   
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 15. Look Into My Heart  
  
* * *  
  
There would be no bringing him back this time. Gaea said so herself, she did not have the energy anymore since two-thirds of the Power of Atlantis were on the Mystic Moon, and Sellie, the last remaining part was to leave her world shortly as well.  
  
He was dead.  
  
The horrifying thought crept through Sellie's mind unwanted. Why was it that her heart still beat? Shouldn't she be dead alongside of her father?   
  
She felt hate, anger, grief, fear, but most of all -- revenge, surge through her veins. But amongst all these feelings and emotions, she remained silent, her cheeks try from unshed tears.  
  
Her fingers held Van's lifeless hand, still warm beneath her touch. Next to their small party, Dralion lay unmoving as well. Although his eyelids were shut tight, smoke still curled and danced from his nostrils. Blood was splattered all over his front claws, blending in with his already-dark red scales. Sellie did not think that it was the dragon's blood, though.  
  
"Gods…" she heard Celena whisper behind her as her arms wrapped around Sellie's waist and held her. Merle sobbed from her captive position, seeing her best-friend lying on the ground. There were no utterances made from either Allen nor Gaddes that she could hear.  
  
"How is it that you still live?!" Tarn accused. "You should be dead as well!" He twitched a finger at an archer. "Gren! If you please."  
  
Quidam's assassin let loose his bow, sending an arrow directly at Sellie's face.  
  
Celena saw the draw of the taunt line, and when it was released, she leapt forward to protect Sellie with her own body as an instinct. She waited for the sharp metallic head to bury itself into her torso, but the impact never came. Breathing hard, she lifted her head to look.  
  
The arrow was hanging in mid-air, still pointed at Sellie and Celena only inches away.  
  
Confused, she looked at the younger girl. Sellie stared at the arrow, her green irises never breaking their contact with the weapon. She looked as though she was concentrating solely on it.   
  
*She's* making it stop… Celena realized. She's using her mind powers…  
  
While the older woman breathed heavily staring down the slowly rotating arrow, scared to death of what was happening, Sellie watched it with a glimmer of humor twinkling in her eyes. Images of the past flashed before her, back when her mother was much younger and in a similar situation.   
  
With a toss of her head, she commanded the useless weapon to the ground.  
  
Tarn's face turned red with fury. "Again!" he screamed.  
  
The frustrated archer released another arrow towards Sellie and Celena, but this time, it hit some sort of invisible force field that surrounded the small party. It was deflected into the forest.  
  
Sellie slowly stood up, her once-sparkling eyes now dull and blank. She took a step towards the retreating soldiers, to where Tarn remained.  
  
"Give me that!" Tarn reached for one of the crossbows and shot the bolt without truly aiming it. The smaller arrow singed through the air, but once again, bounced off of the spherical bubble.   
  
"You're a damn witch! Just like your mother!" he spat at her, fumbling with reloading the bow. His scarlet face was dripping of perspiration created by fear.  
  
Sellie was only mere feet away from him now, the same placid expression on her young face.  
  
Seeing that she was so close, he gave up on the crossbow and drew his own sword. With two hands, he held it over his head and brought it down as hard as he could atop of the crown of her head.  
  
The sword shattered into countless fragments upon impact with the bubble. The collision shook him hard, sending jolts up his arms. Eyes wide with horror, he stared now at the jagged remains of the blade settled upon the hilt, then looked down at the girl.  
  
Sellie held out her left hand and placed it on his chest plate, causing the much larger man to be immobile. Slowly, his feet lifted off the ground as Sellie levitated him.  
  
"You've killed my father," she said coolly. "You've killed my dragon-friend. You've killed my mentor and Advisor. You killed your own son. You took my mother away from me. And now, you've tried to kill my friends. Surely, you deserve to die."  
  
Tarn whimpered noisily. "I was only acting under orders! It was Ashira! She was the one that forced me to do those things!"  
  
"You weren't forced to do anything," Sellie continued in the same smooth voice. "You always have a choice." She paused. "I could have chosen not to do any of this. But I did. And now, this moment in Time is the outcome of my choice."  
  
His once-red face had now paled, but sweat still glistened on his forehead. "And… what have you… chosen to do with me?" he asked.  
  
A brief smile crept onto Sellie's, but disappeared as quickly as it arrived. "Oh, I have chosen your fate, alright. I wanted to show you the same… respect that you showed my family…" She raised her free right hand as if she were going to blast him with some sort of energy build-up.  
  
Allen stepped forward from behind her. "Sellie…" he called to her. "Don't."  
  
She seemed to take in his simple words, but returned to her serene facial appearance. "…but my father taught me something that you possibly cannot understand," she added.   
  
"Which is?"  
  
She breathed in. "Compassion, mercy, and forgiveness."   
  
With her final, quick sentence, she moved past the floating Tarn and looked into the remaining soldiers' eyes. Only five stood behind him, loyal to their king's side, but still defenseless.  
  
"If you would be so kind to move aside so I don't have to do it for you," she said sweetly. The five soldiers parted immediately.  
  
Sellie walked to where Merle was still bound and gagged by Folken's monument. Her bright eyes were brimming with tears, threatening at any moment to spill onto her already-wet cheeks. With her small fingers, she swiftly untied her mouth-gag.  
  
"Sellie!" Merle cried at the first moment that she was free of the cloth. "What's going on?! Where's Hitomi?" As she clamored on, Sellie silently picked up a dropped sword and sliced through the ropes that restrained her hands and feet.  
  
Why is there a dragon over there? What's happened to Van? Are you alright? What's taken over you?" She took the young girl into he r arms and hugged her tightly.   
  
A deep rumble broke Merle's ramblement of questions. Sellie focused her eyes on Dralion as he shifted suddenly from his lying position. Another groan escaped his throat as he lifted his head off the ground and looked around wearily. As soon as his golden eyes spotted Sellie's face, his long neck bolted upright.  
  
"Dralion?" she whispered, breaking out of her relaxed composure and trance that she was in. "I thought you were dead."  
  
* Ha! * the dragon snorted as his voice echoed in all of their heads. * It will take more than just breaking my heart-stone to get rid of me. *  
  
"But *shouldn't* you be dead?" Allen asked him. "I mean, that was one of your energists that shattered. You were connected to it, just like Van and Sellie were."  
  
* Aye, but thee said it theeself: 'One' of my energists. I do have another. Now that both of my hearts do not beat, I am not immortal. Which does not matter, really, since dragons live till extreme ages. * He stretched his front legs.   
  
Sellie had to smile at his recovery, but it soon faded when her sight shifted from him to her father, still except for a faint breeze that ruffled through his dark hair. She felt a fuzzy hand slip into her own as the cat-woman held it tightly.   
  
She hadn't noticed, but when Sellie saw Dralion, the jump out of the trance that she was in made her lose concentration with her mind power. Tarn fell hard to the ground, but was soon on his feet. He pulled a dagger from underneath his boot flap and snuck up behind both Sellie and Merle.  
  
Gaddes was the first one to spot Tarn creeping only feet away. Sellie only needed the look on his face to realize what was going on. That flow of power that she had felt earlier surged through her being once more. This time, she did not return to that spell-like state.  
  
This time, she knew what she needed to do.  
  
As Tarn ran forward, holding his blade up high, Sellie pivoted on her heel and swung her arm upwards against his face. At the moment when it made contact, a bright flash of electrical charges sprang forth from her hand. Tarn was send flying backwards into the Royal Family's monuments. He bounced sickly off one of them and crumpled to the floor.  
  
It was utter silence except for Sellie's hard breathing. She stared at Tarn's unmoving body, making sure that he was not getting back up any time soon. Then, she slowly walked back to where Van lay. She once more held his hand with both of hers. In the matter of minutes, his skin had cooled considerably.   
  
The harsh reality washed over her in sickening waves. She was alone.  
  
A tear trickled loose from her eyes and splashed into Van's dark hair. She tried to stay cool, but Sellie soon found herself sobbing uncontrollably.  
  
Gaddes held Celena in his arms, hugging her close and brushing her silver-blonde hair. Her eyes were damp from crying already. Allen was consoling Merle, who was leaning her strawberry-colored head upon his shoulder. He was whispering something in her catlike ear that only she could hear.  
  
Dralion watched the grieving party with much curiosity. Ever since his first interaction with this species known as "humans", their emotions had always baffled him. Especially with death. Unlike their lower, ground-dwelling cousins that humans labeled "land-dragons", his flying-kind lived much longer. Dralion was practically immortal, thanks to his two hearts. Though, because of this, there were many drawbacks. His kin seldom procreated, making the flying race of dragons rare throughout the lands. The humans had celebrated dragons, but still hunted them down. Even now, he was out-of-place and unwelcome by the vast majority of this world.   
  
He hadn't given death a second notice until at the moment when Gaea awakened him a week ago. When she had told him that he was the last, her words hadn't sunk into him and made an impact until it had done so just now. He felt sore, not from the battle that he just won, but from the endless battles he fought when he was younger, when he was not yet an ally with the people of Siemmena. He was old, weary, and tired.   
  
Young Sellie had lost both of her parents, her only kin, and felt alone in the world, just as he did. Although she was on the verge of leaving childhood behind and entering the beginning world of womanhood, she was still too young to be alone.   
  
Gaea already knew of this tragedy. She had told him that Sellie's fate was linked to his own. She had not gone into entire details, but Dralion could fill in the blanks. He would have to decide whether or not he would make their future become the one that Gaea foresaw. He knew what he had to do now.  
  
On hesitant claws, he crept towards the grieving girl. Slowly, he extended his long neck so that his massive head hung over Van's tranquil chest and his nose was mere inches from Sellie's tear-stained face. She forced a smile as she opened her reddened eyes and looked deeply into his. He nudged her gently and she removed her left hand and placed her open palm on the end of his snout. As soon as they touched, a connection occurred, and Dralion talked only to her, excluding the others.  
  
* How are thee, Child? * he asked softly. * Think. Think only to me so that no one else will hear. *  
  
She let out an exasperated mental sigh. I miss him so much… she thought, strangely finding this way of communication much more easier. I never thought that in order to get my mother back, that I would have to lose my father too… She returned her gaze back down to Van.  
  
* Have thee began to believe in theeself? * he asked.  
  
Her eyes whipped up and looked into his. How did you know about that? she inquired.  
  
He chuckled. * I have my connections with Gaea as well, little one, * he replied.  
  
She looked away. I thought I just did… now… I can feel it now… the Power of Atlantis, that is… I believed in the moment and I felt it unleashed…  
  
* But thee did. Thee wouldn't have been able to control the Power without it. * He moved his head into her hand. * Thee have all the qualities thee need to rule over thee country: trust, compassion, and wisdom. Trust comes from within, compassion comes from thee father, and wisdom comes from thee mother's line. But thee are lacking one more. *  
  
Sellie sniffled. And what's that? she asked.  
  
Dralion paused, trying to find the right words to put into his next sentence. * Knowing when sacrifices are need to be made and when it is right to end it all. * He pulled his head away from Sellie and rose to his feet.   
  
She dropped Van's hand and looked at the dragon oddly. "Wait!" she said aloud, her words startling Allen and the others. "What do you mean 'sacrifice'?"   
  
Dralion swung his long neck around as he slowly walked towards Escaflowne. * Thee will soon learn, little one, that life is a never-ending circle. When one dies, one lives. When one needs to live, someone has to die. *   
  
He turned his attention back onto the Guymelef and stared into the empty cavity that his first heart once occupied for so long. He closed his eyelids and held his head low, concentrating on the task at hand.   
  
Comprehension slowly filled Sellie's bright green eyes. Briefly, she saw a flash of Dralion's idea just when they disconnected. Her pendant about her neck started to warm up, a reaction of something to come. She watched him, not knowing why he was doing this.   
  
At first, nothing happened. But after a moment, his dark red scales emitted a faint glow. With each passing second, the glow grew from a dull red to an overwhelming pinkish hue. Soon, only the outline of the dragon could be seen.  
  
"Dralion!" Sellie cried out, jumping to her feet. She wanted to race forward, but Allen caught her arm and pulled her back. "Dralion! No!"  
  
The intensity of the light shining from the dragon's body was too great. She had to shield her eyes from the brightness. Loose leaves began to dance about in a lazy circle surrounding him. As the glow strengthened, so did the wind carrying the debris. Sellie and Allen's hair danced wildly as he pulled her away from Dralion. She fought him with all her might, wanting so badly to stop her friend from what he was doing.   
  
Or rather, sacrificing.  
  
Suddenly, the wind constricted, pulling everything into the light. It shrunk down, tightening itself into a sphere of concentrated energy. It floated in the air as the wind calmed and the leaves settled back to the ground. In the stillness, it sat, waiting.  
  
Another light shone from the memorials. The smaller energist that Tarn took levitated off of the ground and floated towards the giant ball of light. Without faltering, the jagged jewel merged into the ball, disappearing immediately in its depths. The glow pulsated for a moment, then hovered to Escaflowne's heart chamber. It slipped inside the metal cavity, a perfect fit. The three claws clamped onto the energy-sphere, securing it tightly in place.   
  
At the moment when Allen obviously found it not necessary to hold her back anymore, Sellie broke free from his grip and ran to the kneeling Guymelef. She climbed up its protruding knee and stood just before the new occupant of Escaflowne's heart. As the glow dulled, it revealed the giant energist, its smooth, geometric surface.   
  
Selle's eyes burned as she tried to stop her tears. Dralion sacrificed himself… for her… for the quest. She did not ask anything of him, and yet, he still did it. Why did Allen hold her back? Dralion… what did you do?  
  
A rhythm broke her thoughts, something that she hadn't noticed. She opened her eyes to see the smaller energist beating inside of the larger one. Boom-boom… boom-boom… boom-boom…  
  
It was definitely a heart beat.  
  
She raised her hand parallel to the energist's front facet, holding it only a few inches away. The closer palm was to touching the surface, the stronger the pulsating rhythm became. Fascinated by this, she slowly moved her fingers closer to the gem.  
  
"Sellie!"  
  
Turing her head at the sound of Celena's cry, she looked in the direction of her comrades standing yards away from Escaflowne's giant foot. Only she was looking at her, her deep blue eyes wide and confused. Allen and Gaddes were staring at her father, while Merle was on her knees in the same position that Sellie was just in.  
  
At first, she did not understand why Celena shouted her name so urgently. But a small movement allowed her to comprehend.  
  
Van's hand lifted off of the ground and went to his forehead as he struggled to get up. His other free hand was held tightly by his childhood friend, who was trying frantically not to attack him and cover him with kisses.  
  
Sellie's heart leapt in hope that her eyes were not playing tricks on her, that she was actually seeing her father move, that he was alive. She felt faint at heart and staggered in her stance. She braced herself from falling by placing her hand squarely on Dralion's energist.  
  
It all happened so fast. She briefly felt the smoothness of the stone under her fingers before her entire vision filled with a blue-white light. The pendant reacted and pulsed along with the energist, in time with its beating. She pulled her hand away from the heart-stone and clasped her necklace tightly.  
  
She was no longer aware of her feet being on Escaflowne's metallic thigh. She felt like she had no control over her body, knowing only that she was traveling at extreme speeds. This light was comforting so she did not fight it.   
  
This must be the infamous pillar of light that Dad and Gaea spoke of… she thought, relaxing more as she recognized it. She was aware of Allen, Celena, Gaddes, and yes, Van, being with her, though she didn't see any of them. It was more of a feeling.  
  
This is it. The final part of our journey. Would we be victorious? Or will it be the end of all things?  
  
* * *  
  
Merle's heart had been broken before, but not like this. When she had received the news that Nehte had been killed in the carrier ship accident, she remained in her room for days. She knew it was unhealthy for her, almost on the verge of birthing their children, but she did not want to see anyone. Especially Van and Hitomi. It wasn't like she blamed them for what happened. It was just because they were always so happy to have one another. Seeing them together hurt her so.  
  
But seeing Van so still there on the grass literally made her want to die there along with him. They were best friends… best friends should be together always. She had been by her Lord Van's side constantly since she was two. She couldn't cry, not even into Allen's shoulder. He whispered something about everything was going to be fine but his words took no effect to her.  
  
Van was gone.  
  
Poor Sellie… she thought. She must have found out by now of what she is. Her father is gone, her mother is on the Mystic Moon… how can she even function right now? I know I would be going mad if I were in her position.  
  
That dragon approached Sellie slowly and the girl touched him on the face. They remained like that for a few minutes, looking into each other's eyes without moving. And, just as oddly as they were, he moved away and walked to Escaflowne and lowered his head. She felt so confused what was going on. Sellie asked him urgently what he was doing, but he paid no attention to her.   
  
Suddenly, he started to glow, becoming brighter as each moment progressed. Allen let go of Merle and grabbed Sellie before she could do anything rash. The poor girl was screaming wildly at the dragon, but it was futile. He burned so brightly with light that she had to pull her sensitive eyes away from it.  
  
And then it died down. When she opened her eyes again, the dragon was gone and Sellie was standing on Escaflowne's knee looking at an energist that wasn't there moments ago. It must be that dragon's… she automatically assumed.   
  
A slight disturbance alerted her attention to where Van lay. Her eyes darted down, a surge of hope racing through her. Was that faint moan coming from him? Or was it from her?  
  
No! There it was again! She saw his chest slowly rise as he breathed in air. Breathed in air! He was breathing! Dead men don't breathe!  
  
Instantly, Merle fell to her knees exactly where Sellie was just kneeling. She grabbed his closer hand. "Van?" she whispered.  
  
"Mmmm…" he groaned again. His dark lashes were fluttering as he tried opening his eyes.  
  
The others must have noticed his rousing. Merle heard Celena shout up to Sellie but the cat-woman kept her gaze fixated on Van. He had lifted his free hand to his forehead as if he had a migraine.  
  
"Van?" she repeated. All she wanted to do right now was either beat him senseless for dying or smother him kisses.  
  
His eyes opened and looked into her wet ones. "Merle?" he uttered. "Is that… you?"  
  
"Yes," she whispered, clamping both of her hands tightly around his. "I'm never letting you…"  
  
No sooner than those words had left her mouth, Van was engulfed with a blinding pale blue light. His hand disappeared beneath her fingers as he was pulled away from her. She had to close her eyes again, unable to take in the brilliance.  
  
When she opened them once more, Sellie, Van, Allen, Celena, and Gaddes were gone. She stood in the middle of a clearing along with Escaflowne, the body of a 14-year-old boy, and an unconscious Tarn crumbled beneath the monuments. Her eyes looked heavenwards just to see the remains of a light pillar streaking against the sky towards the Mystic Moon.  
  
She felt small… insignificant to the great beyond. All these things always happened to Van and Hitomi, leaving her behind in the dirt. What was it this time that involved their child, the Schezars, and Gaddes?  
  
"It's alright, Merle. They are in good hands."  
  
Merle cast her eyes from the lightening sky back to the ground to see a strangely clad woman standing before her, raven black locks tumbling down her back. Her soft, forest green eyes sparkled at her as she smiled at the cat-woman.  
  
"Who… who are you?" she stuttered.   
  
The woman smiled harder. "You know who I am, Merle. Look into your heart and you will know the answer." She then pointed to the castle. "Now go and check on your children. You will find them safely with your attendants."  
  
Merle felt odd here, standing in the presence of this woman. First, she appeared out of nowhere. Second, she knew exactly of what she was thinking. And thirdly, she was afraid to find out if her speculations of who this person was were correct. She ran down the pathway on all fours, not taking a second look at the stranger.  
  
* * *  
  
Gaea watched the young cat-woman race off until she disappeared below the level of the path. She exhaled her breath, let go out her strong, proud stance, and stumbled to the ground.   
  
This is all happening too quickly… she thought. She was barely able to send them to Earth with the amount of energy it required to generate the pillar of light. She was already drained and weary. How was it that she would have to hold on for however long it would take Sellie's task to be completed?  
  
She let herself sink into her native soil, back to her home for so long. She was chosen to watch over this new creation, and she was not about to let it all end just like that. She had faith in Sellie. She wanted to believe that everything would be alright, but there was no longer anything she could really do.  
  
The fate of this world relied on the belief in one small girl.  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
01.21.2003. Sorry its taken so long. I've had major writer's block. I don't get it. I know how this is going to end. I know what's going to happen up until the ending. BUT THE WORDS JUST WON'T COME OUT!!! Grrrrr… Anyhow, this one is short, I know. But if I added more, it would just seem weird. Sigh. It'll be awhile for the final 2-3 chapters. I have so much work to do. I just completed my first honest-to-God animation and I'm so excited.  
  
Chapter title comes from Dido's song "Take My Hand" which is my personal favorite song by her.  
  
See my eyes… they carry your reflection…  
Watch my lips… and hear the words I'm telling you…  
Give your trust to me…  
And look into my heart…  
And show me… show me what you're doing… 


	16. Another Day

Date. 01.28.2003  
Time. 2.46 pm  
Music. Soundtrack to Rent.  
Chapter 16  
  
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters. Just my own.  
  
Author's Notes. Alright. I'm obsessed with Rent at the moment. The traveling show came here last weekend for one night and my roommate and I went to see it. We had kind of crappy seats, but this couple during the intermission gave us their seats, about 10 rows from the front!! Some people can be so nice. Anyhow, on with the show.  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 16. Another Day  
  
* * *  
  
The first thing that Sellie could recognize was that she was wet. Her eyes were still closed and she knew that she wasn't traveling anymore, but she didn't know where she was. Someplace wet, I guess… she thought, then had to smile. Even her thoughts were sarcastic.  
  
As she lay a few moments more, other senses began to fill her mind. She was on her back in grass… long, wild grass that clung to her bare skin. She opened her eyes to gray skies above, raindrops splattering on her face. That explains being wet… she thought.  
  
She inhaled deeply, and the scent that filled her nostrils was foreign. This place she was at was nothing like the Fanelian palace that she had just left. It seemed more… feral.  
  
She sat up, her dark hair plastered to her face. She was alone in the midst of a jungle. Had that pillar of light only brought her? Or had it cast her some place else, lost somewhere on Gaea or the Mystic Moon? She had sensed other presences with her as she was lifted higher into the dawning sky.  
  
Sellie propped her elbows onto her knees and held her head in her hands. She breathed deep. She could feel her portion of the Power of Atlantis flowing through her, its electricity still sparking after the trip she just took in the light column. It was growing stronger ever since it had been reawakened only a little while before.   
  
On awkward legs, she stood and scanned her surroundings. The lush greenery of ferns and vegetation only came up to her shoulders. It did not seem to be a jungle, but the humidity of the climate was definitely high. She had landed on what seemed to be a man-made footpath, one that had been somewhat overgrown during the years of un-use. She sighed and decided to follow it, figuring that it had to lead somewhere.  
  
She hadn't traveled more than a hundred yards when she suddenly heard someone calling her.  
  
"Sellie!"   
  
She whirled around to see her father, alive and well, charging through the shrubbery towards her. She jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly.  
  
"Thank the gods you're alright!" he said as he lifted her off her feet. "I was so afraid that I'd lost you."  
  
"Lost me? I should be the one that's more worried," she cried. She pulled away and Van set her down. "How are you feeling?"  
  
Van gave her a quick grin before grabbing her hand. "I feel fine," he replied as he pulled her towards where she assumed the others had landed.  
  
"Then you know about Dralion, right?"  
  
The grin faded. "I was somewhere… else," he said solemnly. "There wasn't anything. It's hard to explain. And I felt like I was waiting for something. Then suddenly, he was there. Not there in a sense that I could see him, but I could feel his presence." He swallowed. "He told me that it wasn't my time yet… and that you still needed me."  
  
Sellie squeezed his hand. "I didn't know what he was doing until it was too late. But he was right. I do still need you."  
  
Van looked down at his daughter, and at that moment, she had changed. An older Sellie stood next to him, wearing regal Fanelian dress and looking wiser, dignified, and elegant. Her sparkling green eyes made her look even more like Hitomi, filled with the mysteries of the universe. This is Sellie when she takes over Fanelia… he realized. This is when she is Queen.  
  
But he blinked and his 13-year-old daughter once again replaced her elder counterpart, her drenched clothing clinging to her small frame instead of a luxurious gown. She would always be his little girl. From now until forever.  
  
He smiled. "Let's go find the others," he said.  
  
* * *  
  
It had turned out that Van, Allen, Celena, and Gaddes had remained together when they had landed on the Mystic Moon, or more specifically, the Yucatán. Everyone but Van had their sword drawn ("Thank the gods that Gaea also managed to send along our weapons as well!" Celena said too cheerfully). The rain finally stopped, and soon Sellie could feel the water evaporating from her skin.  
  
The group was relying on her. They couldn't waste the precious moments they had, since Hitomi had said that Time on the Mystic Moon and Gaea weren't synced. However, that didn't mean that Ashira could appear at any instant. The sun could be rising on Gaea as they stood in the jungle area, contemplating on their next move.   
  
While Van and Allen were trying to figure out where the Temple was, Sellie felt a warming sensation on her chest. She reached down her blouse and dug out her mother's pendant, which was glowing dimly. Slipping it off of her neck, she held it in her palm and showed it to her father.  
  
"What does this mean?" she asked.  
  
Breaking away from his argument with the Knight Caeli, Van glanced down at the familiar necklace that he once carried himself. He took it from her, letting it dangle so the pendant swung freely.  
  
"The first time Hitomi came to Gaea," he explained. "She wore this pendant and used it to dowse. It would glow when it reacted to something." As he spoke, the stone's luminance faded.  
  
"Why do you think it stopped glowing now?" she pointed out.  
  
He hesitated. "Because neither Hitomi or I are its masters anymore," he said thoughtfully. "You are." He motioned his hand to hold out hers. As she cautiously opened her palm, he let the pink stone fall into the middle of it. As soon as it made contact with her skin, it began to faintly shine again.  
  
"Didn't Gaea say something about Sellie being the only one to find Hitomi once we got here?" Celena asked.  
  
"Yes," Van answered, his eyes never leaving Sellie's confused face. "She's the only one that can use the pendant to dowse."  
  
"Dowse?!" she repeated. "You expect me to learn how to do that when we don't have any time?!"  
  
"I don't expect you to learn anything, Sellie," he replied. "You inherited the same capabilities from Hitomi. If she can get me to use the pendant, you most certainly can. And you are the only one who can do it. I can't sense her anymore, but you have a blood connection."  
  
She studied him, sensing different emotions that he was subtly projecting: impatience, fear, and hope. Most of all, hope. He did not have to say anything verbally; his eyes said everything. If she would not attempt to use the pendant, then Hitomi would be lost to them. They were stuck on a strange world with no known direction of where to travel.  
  
"What do I have to do?" she asked after her examination.  
  
He motioned for her to hold her hand out and let the stone dangle much like he did earlier. "Close your eyes and concentrate on Hitomi. Focus on the little details that bring back memories. Imagine her face in front of yours and see the pendant swing before you."  
  
Sellie did what he described. She focused on whenever Hitomi would sing to her before she went to bed. She focused on her faint scent, her laugh, her smile. Van, Allen, Celena, and Gaddes disappeared from her view and all that surrounded her was darkness. She could see the stationary necklace before her, but nothing else. Time seemed to pass at such an incredibly slow rate that she was getting devastated and frustrated.   
  
C'mon, you stupid thing… move! she mentally yelled at it.  
  
now, now, sellie… don't let your temper get the best of you…  
  
At the sound of the voice, Sellie lost all awareness of the dangling pendant and strained to hear more of the familiarness.  
  
"Mom?" she whispered softly.   
  
As soon as the simple word left her lips, the recognizable form of Hitomi appeared before her eyes, wearing her white linen dress that rippled in the invisible wind. Other images bombarded her, memories of old that Sellie could still see in her mind's eye. But Hitomi remained the main focal point.   
  
"Mom," she said, her voice shaking. "We don't have much time. Where are you?"  
  
what do you mean, "where am i?" Hitomi said, although her mouth did not move. i am with you… i am always with you…  
  
"That doesn't help me much, Mom," Sellie replied with a touch of annoyance.  
  
how does that not help?  
  
"Because we're here on the Mystic Moon looking for you!" she shouted. "We don't have much time!"  
  
time is redundant here… besides, i gave you the clue of where to find me…  
  
"What, that you're with me?"  
  
yes…  
  
"Yeah, you and I are here… HERE!" Sellie gestured to the blackness surrounding them to emphasize her point. "We're here, but this is only in my mind, not in the real world."  
  
yes… and i am here with you… look for me here…  
  
Sellie looked at her mother much how she had previously looked at Van. She was telling her that she was here with her. That she should look for her here. But what did that have to do with anything? Hitomi was in some temple, probably chained up as a specimen for Ashira's torturing.   
  
Suddenly, it hit her. Van had mentioned before, as it had been brought up several times in the past couple of days.   
  
Blood.  
  
Hitomi was here with her because she was in her blood. Hitomi was here because she made up half of Sellie as Van made up her other half.   
  
Hitomi was a part of her.  
  
Sellie's revelation must have been obvious since the ghostly apparition of Hitomi smiled.  
  
seems like you've got it all figured out…  
  
"I have to look within myself to find you?"  
  
yes… dowsing isn't always about searching fate… it's about searching your heart… that's where you'll find me…  
  
With that in mind, Sellie closed her eyes once more and rummaged around herself, seeking some sort of similar connection. And there it was. A golden strand that led directly to her heart, pulsing with what she could only imagine was love. There were infinite other strands all linked with her, each one different from the next. As she followed the strand, she could hear her mother's voice:  
  
these strands represent someone that you have had a connection with… whether being a family member, a friend, or someone that you have met only for a day… we are all linked to one another… this is what you use to find someone you have lost… anyone can do it… it just takes practice… but for us with the blood of atlantis running through our veins, it is a little more simple…  
  
Keeping this in mind, Sellie clung to the thread, feeling herself growing closer and closer to her mother. She began to feel her presence in one general direction… west… but it wasn't definite.  
  
come and find me, sellie… you now know where…  
  
And just like that, a flash signified that she found her… she knew where Hitomi was. The pendant swung sharply towards her left: west.  
  
She knew where the Temple of Kukulkan was.  
  
* * *  
  
The loud rumble of thunder made the Twins clutch onto Merle with their sharp tiny claws. She had to bite her lip as their nails dug into her flesh, but made no attempt to restrain them.   
  
Only twenty minutes before, she stood next to a lifeless Van, only to have him come back from the dead and disappear from her arms in a pillar of light. So had everyone else. Then, that oddly familiar woman told her to go back to the palace, knowing that Van, Sellie, and the others were safe somewhere else.   
  
Merle was terrified. She had no idea what was occurring… why her best friend left in that beam… why the Goddess of Gaea was in Escaflowne's clearing… and why Cassian soldiers were attacking Fanelia. As soon as the woman mentioned her children, her heart panicked. Were they in danger?  
  
She sprinted down the slight hill and towards the back door opening to the castle. Her attendants took Sulae and Rani underneath her room down to the emergency shelter. Ever since the attacks when Van took the throne and when Hitomi came back seven years later, he and the castle architects designed a portion of the dungeon into an area where people could flee to in case there were more strikes. Small windows were placed close to the ceiling to let in some light, but because of her cat-vision, Merle did not need the faint light to see her three servants huddled in the far corner. She rushed down the stairs and ran to them on all fours. Rani was the first to squirm out of the safety that the women provided, Sulae closely following her sister. She was relieved to feel her children in her arms once more, remembering their recognizable weight. She hugged them tightly and gave her silent thanks to her attendants and to the gods.  
  
And that's when the storm struck.  
  
Sulae screamed when the first bolt cracked and charged the air, burying her wet face into her mother's chest. Rani, always being the calm one of the Twins, shook with fear.  
  
They sense something… Merle thought as she tried to remain cool and collected. Hell, I sense something too…  
  
The storm came out of nowhere. When she had run back inside, the sun was just about to rise and the sky was clear. Now, lightning made contact with ground with the loud crash of thunder sounding immediately. It was focused on Fanelia and striking much more than normal.   
  
Flashes illuminated the small room as the lightning repeatedly hit the ground. Merle's instincts were telling her to stay here with her kittens and her attendants, but her curiosity was driving her mad. Why had this storm come? Something was eating away at her that it had something to do with Van, Hitomi, Sellie, and the Goddess of Gaea.  
  
But what was it? Why was her gut telling her that the world was going to end?  
  
* * *  
  
"She's over there!" Sellie's eyes flew open as her hand shot up and pointed towards her left. Her sudden outburst surprised the others, since she had been silent for about five minutes, concentrating hard on dowsing.  
  
"Are you sure?" Van asked, relieved that she had come back. There were times that Hitomi's power had sucked her into her subconscious and he was afraid she was gone forever.  
  
Sellie nodded. "I saw her. She helped me."  
  
"How far in that direction?" Allen asked.  
  
"Not really far. Maybe a couple of miles," she replied. "Gaea couldn't place us right by the Temple because it would draw too much attention. But we have to hurry."  
  
"You're right," Gaddes said. "Who knows how much of a time-window we have if Ashira isn't there. She could just pop in at any moment."  
  
"Well, lets go then," Celena proposed. She looked back at Sellie. "Are you ready to lead the way?"  
  
Sellie widened her eyes, but returned to her more calm complexion. "Yes." She clutched the pendant firmly in her fist and trekked her way in the direction she pointed at moments before. Van glanced at Allen with uncertainty, then followed his daughter.  
  
* * *  
  
Several times, Sellie would stop, hold out the pendant, close her eyes and dowse to make sure that they were still on the same path. The countless minutes seemed to pass by like eternity as they slowly made their way to the Temple.  
  
Then, they saw it; the Temple of Kukulkan looming over the verdant jungle brush like a sitting giant. Its ancient stones seemed to still be intact, though its crumbling corners made Van a little wary of its stability. Its pyramidal shape was more square-cut, unlike the more-smooth ones he had heard about off in the far east and read about in Gaean history texts.   
  
"We have to remain cautious," Allen whispered. "Nothing rash. We don't know what Ashira has done or will do with Hitomi once she realizes we're here."  
  
Van glared at Allen. He could have just said "Van, don't do anything stupid" with that statement. But he remained silent and ducked down below the bush line, motioning for the rest to follow his motion.  
  
"We're going to have to go around the entire Temple to see if there is any activity going on," he said hushed. "Keep low and try not to make much noise. There's no telling who is here."  
  
They moved in unison to the left, slowly circling the structure. Van would poke his head out slightly, or part some of the large leaves to see if anything was happening, then report back negatively and keep progressing.   
  
They had been walking about the perimeter of the Temple for a good twenty minutes when Van told them to halt and hush. He crept forward and looked through the leaves once more, then motioned for Allen and Gaddes to take a glimpse as well.  
  
"What is it?" Celena whispered, glancing over at Sellie to give her reassurance.   
  
"It's a tent," Gaddes responded. "There's a camp set-up over at the base of the Temple, but it doesn't look like there's any activity."  
  
Sellie closed her eyes and focused her energy on the pendant, just like her mother showed her in her dream world. She searched for her, but furrowed her brows in disappointment.  
  
"She's not over there," she murmured. "But she's in the area."  
  
"Where?" Van asked urgently.  
  
"I don't know!" she replied, raising her voice slightly. "I'm having some troubles visualizing her."  
  
"Hmmm…" he thought aloud. "Maybe she's being hidden by Ashira or something."  
  
"No, wait," Sellie held up her hand, her eyes staring forward, but it seemed that she wasn't actually *looking* at something. "I feel something… in that direction." She clutched the pendant tightly and began to run off in the bushes.  
  
"Sellie!" Van hissed. "Get back here!" He tried chasing after the girl, but because of his much larger size, he was quickly stuck in the brush. "Sellie!"  
  
* * *  
  
She hadn't realized that no one was following her, or *could* follow her. She easily slipped through the jungle bush that surrounded the Temple due to her smaller physique, concentrating fully on her senses on where Hitomi was. She was on the hot track.   
  
Mom… where are you? she thought.  
  
She should have paid more attention to her walking and where she placed her feet. But when she set her mind to something, she would give it her all. So when she tripped, she stumbled and fell hard.  
  
Her hands went flying forward into the muddy floor, still thick after the recent rain. It splashed and plastered her face with the foul ooze. She had been smart enough to hold tight onto the pendant; otherwise, it would have been lost.  
  
Feeling embarrassed, she laughed a little as she pushed herself back up into a sitting position, rubbing her muddy hands on her pants and tried to clean a moderate amount off of her face.   
But those soft giggles ceased when she noticed that no one had offered their help or asked if she was alright. That's odd… she thought.   
  
She slowly turned around, hoping to see her father with his arms crossed, but trying so hard not laugh at her clumsiness.   
  
Instead, she saw a pile of bodies.   
  
They were the reason why she tripped.  
  
Her stomach automatically retched in reaction. She attempted to keep what little was in her stomach already down. The last time she had eaten was probably at some point during the flight to Cassia after Allen and the crew had retrieved her, Van, and Dralion.  
  
She slid herself further away from the rotting corpses. The rank smell filled the area, and her stomach was threatening to heave again.  
  
Get out of there! her mind screamed. She struggled to rise to her feet and run, but she kept slipping in the mud.  
  
"Dad!" she cried out, trying to maybe alert him of where she was. "DAD!"  
  
Her eyes were morbidly focused on the bodies, fearing and hoping that they were not going to come to life and attack her. So she hadn't noticed in her backing up that she had run into a tree.  
  
Or, at least, what she *thought* was a tree. Not until a hand clamped over her mouth. She whirled around and looked into the face of her captor.  
  
* * *  
  
"Do you think she went this way?" Celena asked. Their group had split and each chose a potential direction that Sellie went, but still remained in speaking distance.   
  
"Look for footprints in the mud," Gaddes suggested. "The rain wouldn't have washed it away, so tracking her will hopefully be easier. Sellie!"  
  
As his three friends cried out her name, Van knelt on one knee and touched the damp earth. Though he was trained to be a hunter along with his many other skills, he felt that there was still so much more for him to learn. He was looking for the obvious signs that she had been here, but there was so much more beyond just visual evidence.   
  
It had been only five minutes since she'd disappeared, but that was five more minutes that they had to waste looking for Hitomi as well. Sellie should have known better to take off like that.   
  
And that's when he saw it. Off to his left and hidden behind a large tropical leaf was a small imprint left in the fresh mud. A footprint.  
  
"Over here!" he shouted. He pushed back the leaf and soon discovered another one, followed by another.   
  
He pushed himself off of the ground and trailed the small prints. They were wide apart; she was definitely running. Come on, Sellie… where are you?  
  
Van's legs began to get tangled in the brush. He unsheathed his sword and cut through the snarls. "Hold up!" he said back to the group. "Let me just clear a path and…"  
  
His voice dropped before he could finish his sentence. Celena approached him and looked curiously at his dismayed face. "Van, what is it?" she asked. He didn't reply to her, but pointed into the direction he was staring at.  
  
A pile of bodies, three of them, lay rotting in the wet mud.  
  
Celena's hand instantly went to cover her mouth and she averted her eyes away from the scene. Gaddes embraced her and tried to hide her away from the horror.  
  
"How long do you think they've been here?" Van asked Allen.  
  
The Knight Caeli knelt, but kept his distance. "A week, maybe more," he said. "You can't really tell because of this world's climate. But you can see this one has been gnawed on by something." He pointed to the missing leg, but soon, looked inquisitively at one of corpses' chests. "This one is definitely a man. But look here…" He grabbed a long stick and held open his torn shirt. "There seems to be a handprint burnt into his skin. It looks like that's what killed him."  
  
"Someone with powers…" Van said aloud. "Ashira."  
  
"Most likely, it was her," Allen concurred. "That campsite was probably theirs."  
  
Van's eyes left the bodies to the mud behind them. It was obvious that Sellie had come this way. The mud had been disturbed by a person.  
  
"Sellie saw this," he muttered. This was exactly what he *didn't* want for her. A life of dismay, a life of destruction, a life of death. He walked around the pile and observed it. "She must have tripped over them, saw them, and crawled in the mud to get away." He moved some more. "Here, she stops." He paused. "A second person intercepted her and forcibly pushed her in that direction."  
  
Celena glanced at Van. He was trying so hard to hold back his emotions. "Van…" she whispered.  
  
"We have to find her," he said flatly. "Whoever this second person is, pulled Sellie back towards that camp we found." He tightened his grip on his sword's hilt and walked towards the base camp.  
  
Allen grabbed his arm. "Van…" he warned.  
  
Van whirled around and glared at him. "What?!" he snarled.   
  
The older man just looked at him, seeing the anger and anguish in his eyes. He hesitated, and let go of his arm.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
Swords drawn, they retraced their steps back to where Sellie departed them in the first place. Van made no means of stopping and surveying the area before he broke through the jungle and into the clearing surrounding the Temple.   
  
They had rounded the corner to the side where the tent was located and immediately stopped.  
  
There was Sellie, standing in front of it's entrance, her eyes wide and fearful. But it wasn't her expression that tore Van's heart. For Sellie was held captive with a blade pointing into her neck, her mouth covered by her kidnapper's hand. And her large green eyes matched her captor's cold and fierce ones.  
  
Because they belonged to Hitomi.  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
Gah! Sorry it took so long to come out with this chapter, but I've had so much to do. Finals are upon me, and I didn't think that I would be able to cough out this chapter before I left for spring break. But I've had a short break and got it out! YAY! Just don't know when the next few will be coming out.  
  
Chapter title comes from "No Day But Today" from Rent.  
  
Another time, another place   
Another rhyme, a warm embrace   
Another dance, another way   
Another chance, another day 


	17. A Perfect Memory

Date. 03.19.2003  
Time. 8.36 pm  
Music. Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes"/the TV with "Angel" on.  
Chapter 17  
  
Copyright. I do not own any part of Escaflowne whatsoever. I am sad because of this.  
  
Author's Notes. So did I piss off a lot of people last chapter or what? Only two faithful followers left reviews (kinda sad about this). Hopefully I can make it up to you guys. So I'm on my spring break right now. I spent last weekend/St. Pattie's day in Hilton Head where we had one nice day. Of course, Jigglykat had to go and not slather herself with sunblock so now I'm all burnt and in pain. At least it's only on my chest. Now I'm spending the rest of the week with my friend in Atlanta. I've been getting these waves of inspiration to write now that I don't have a lot of things to worry about i.e. SCHOOL. So this is me just typing out my thoughts.   
  
By the way, check out the Tsubasa no Kami site at . I donated the screen caps for the Escaflowne Engrish section in the Gallery. I believed I mentioned this copy of the movie when I was writing "rota fortunae" about Barm and Florken.  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 17. A Perfect Memory  
  
* * *  
  
Hitomi…  
  
It was his Hitomi. And yet, it wasn't her. Though those green eyes were unmistakable, there was something different about them. She was missing something.  
  
That, plus seeing her holding a knife against their daughter's skin was definitely throwing him off.   
  
"Hitomi…" Van whispered.   
  
"Shut up!" she shouted, adjusting her grasp on Sellie and on the knife. "Drop your weapons!"  
  
He examined her quickly, uncertain on what to believe anymore. She wore a white button-down shirt with the long sleeves rolled up, baggy beige shorts that hovered just above her knee, and leather boots that laced up halfway up her calf. It appeared that she had been wearing this strange outfit for awhile, for the white shirt stuck to her with sweat and dirt and mud caked the tread of the thick boots.   
  
Her cold eyes darted back and forth from him to Celena, to Allen, back to him, and then to Gaddes, but his eyes remained solely on her. Her face was extremely pale, and dark circles darkened her sockets, indicating an obvious lack of sleep.  
  
He must have stared a little longer than he really wanted to, for she tightened her grip on the knife and motioned to drive it into Sellie's flesh.   
  
"Do it!" she screamed.  
  
Van looked back at Allen and the others and silently twitched his index finger to the ground. They were as confused as he was, but obeyed Hitomi's command and Van's request, lowering their swords slowly and straightened out.  
  
"Hitomi? What are you…" Van began.  
  
"Shut up!" she shouted. "Just shut up!" She was apparently terrified herself, not sure on what to pay more attention to: her hostage or the others. Her eyesight continuously shifted between them, more so on Van. "Get your hands up where I can see them."  
  
He raised his gloved hands to show he truly had no concealed weapons. "I don't understand…"  
  
"Be quiet!" she cried. "I'm the one asking questions here." She hesitated, staring intently on Van. "How do you know my name? And why do you have swords?"  
  
"Hitomi, it's me, Van," he said, placing one of his hands on his chest. "It's Van. Don't you know me?"  
  
She continued glaring at him, no flicker of recognition in her eyes. "Should I?"  
  
"We met about 20 years ago? We were fifteen and I was sent to the Mystic Moon and slew that dragon and you came back with me to Gaea in that pillar of light. You had all those visions and helped us win the Destiny War." He pleaded to the gods that somehow, his words were making any sense to her.  
  
But Hitomi remained perplexed as ever. "Mystic Moon? Dragons? Gaea?" she inquired. "Have you gotten a CAT-scan recently? You're talking nonsense!"  
  
"No, he's not, Hitomi," Allen said softly. "We are your friends. You really left your world and came to our world, Gaea."  
  
"Shut up!" she replied. "Last time I checked, Earth is the only world around her that can support life. And I've never even heard of Gaea."  
  
It's like her memories of all her time on Gaea and with us has been completely erased… Van thought. How could this have happened? What did Ashira do to her?  
  
"Look, I know who you are," he said aloud. He tried to think desperately of all that she told him of her life on the Mystic Moon. "Your full name is Hitomi Kanzaki. You grew up in Kamakura, g Jah-pan. Your mother's name is Midori, your father's name is… hell, I don't know your father's name. Your brother's name is Mamoru. Your birthday is… well, on Gaea it would be Green, 9th Moon, but on your world, it would be Dee-cem-bur 9th. You ran for the track team, making the varsity team when you were a freshman, and cross-country while you were college. Your best friend, Yukari, married your other best friend, Amano, and they moved away to Uh-mer-ee-cah and had a baby." He stopped. "Hitomi, why don't you remember us?" he asked.   
  
She didn't answer, so he pressed on. "Your memories of your life with me have been stolen. Don't you want them back?"  
  
For a moment, her cold look relaxed as if she took his words to heart and considered lowering her defenses. But she blinked and tensed up once more.  
  
"Of course I want my memories back!" she snapped, her voice cracking in her throat. "I don't know who to trust anymore… I've been stuck out here for almost a month now and I have no recollection of why I'm out here in the first place."  
  
Van frowned. "You left Gaea only a couple days ago, Hitomi." But as he said this, he remembered that Gaea and the Mystic Moon weren't always in sync. Although it was only a few days ago that she disappeared from Cassia, Time could have passed much more rapidly here.  
  
Her face scrunched up in frustration. "You know, I had enough troubles before you guys came here," she said matter-of-factly. "And you know me, but you never told me who you are."  
  
"That's Celena," Van said slowly, pointing to the pale woman standing behind him. "That's Gaddes, and that's Allen…" he paused. "And that's Sellie you've got there... your daughter."  
  
Hitomi blinked at him, but didn't reply quickly. "I don't have a daughter."  
  
"Yes, you do, and you're holding a knife to her neck!"  
  
She snorted in reply. "I think I would remember the pain of childbirth. I *don't* have a daughter."  
  
"How do you even know that?!" Van rose his voice. "You can't remember anything of your life from the last 20 years. I'm telling you the truth, Hitomi. I always have told you the truth." He took a step closer to her, his hands still raised. She, still holding Sellie, hesitated to step backwards away from him. "You trusted me once," he said softly. "Look in your heart, Hitomi. What do your instincts tell you?"  
  
He took another step towards her and she still did not back away. Her unfelt gaze at him slowly softened to a face that Van could recognize, a face that was permanently impressed into his mind.  
  
"I don't know what to believe in," she whispered. "I've been told things while living out here… told my past… but I have no way of proving that the life that you described or the life she described is actually *my* life." She paused. "But I have to believe something."  
  
Van stepped forward again. "Well then, first… please believe in this." He looked down at Sellie. "She *is* your daughter. Look into her eyes. She has *your* eyes."  
  
Hitomi took a step backwards, pulling Sellie along with her. But she looked down at the small girl in his arms and stared deeply into her wide eyes. She lowered the knife from her neck and removed her hand from Sellie's mouth.   
  
"I… I'm sorry," she murmured as she released her. The knife fell from her hand and landed on the soft earth below.   
  
Sellie's hand went to her neck and rubbed it, relieved to see that the blade hadn't pierced the skin. She looked over at her father and nodded at him, telling him silently that she was alright. However, she returned her sight back to her captor.   
  
Hitomi had shifted her view away, unable to look at her once-hostage. A tear brimmed on her lash. Once Sellie had been let loose, she lost her strong stature and her weak health emerged. As her arms wrapped themselves around her torso, Sellie approached her cautiously.  
  
"Mom," she said gently. "It's alright. Everything Dad has said is true." She held out her hand for Hitomi's.  
  
She looked at it in fear, then returning her gaze back to Van. "'Dad'?" she questioned.   
  
"Yes," Sellie replied. "We are your family. It's going to be alright. Don't worry."  
  
"'Don't worry?'" Hitomi repeated, still ignoring the younger girl's gesture. "I still don't know who to trust. Ashira tells me that my husband is dead, that he died protecting me, and yet, you tell me that *he*…" she pointed at Van, "…is really my husband? And all the while, Ashira has disappeared, there is no one else out here in this jungle, and that you could actually be my husband's murderers."  
  
"I can assure you we aren't, Hitomi," Celena said. "You've been married to Van for thirteen years, you had Sellie, and we have been your friends since then."  
  
"Thanks for clearing that up, hon," Hitomi said snidely. "But that really doesn't spark anything."  
  
"Gods damn it, Hitomi!" Van snapped. "You're being almost as stubborn as I am!" He lunged forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Wake up! Bring back my Hitomi! You're lying to yourself right now! You're on the wrong side, love!"  
  
"Don't touch me! Don't tell me what to believe!" Hitomi shouted back. "And don't call me 'love'! I don't know you!" Her fisted hands were already brimming with power as she pressed them both onto his chest. At the slightest contact, sparks of electricity generated from her fingertips as she placed her palms directly onto him and pushed. Within that split second of connection, Van flew through the air and landed firmly on Gaddes.   
  
"So you've told me things I already know," she cried. "Big deal. That information could be made known to anyone."  
  
Van held his chest and winced as he tried to get up off of Gaddes with Celena's help. Hitomi's anger had built up so much that she unintentionally sent hurtful energy right to his heart, but only enough to knock him off of his feet. If she intended to do that, he would be dead. He was lucky to be alive.   
  
"Hitomi…" he groaned. "What is… the last thing you remember? I bet… I can pinpoint it exactly."  
  
She didn't reply so he continued. "You went to a party… a masquerade for some holiday that you celebrate… Halloween, I think it was. You went with your college roommate, Naoko. She went as a demon… and you… you were an angel. You wore a long, brown wig with a silvery-white gown and white wings. You… you were there with a young man named Shinji, who you thought had good intentions, but he didn't. He drugged you so that he could take advantage of you. You ran out to the park… where nobody was… no one could save you."  
  
Hitomi's hand covered her mouth in shock and disgust at that recollection. "I don't think I would ever tell anyone about that night…" she whispered.  
  
"You didn't tell me the truth until a couple days ago," Van said, still breathing hard and coughing sporadically.   
  
"There are other holes in my memory… long periods of time that I can't remember… but that's the clearest one. I figured that it was a dream or something," she said. "What happened?"  
  
"You were rescued by your great-grandmother and brought back to Gaea," he answered. "Back to me." He held up his hand with his wedding band on it. "You and I… are soul mates," he said, coughing once more. "Meant to be together… always."  
  
Hitomi looked down at her own hand where her two rings rested around her finger. She pulled off the one she recognized, her grandmother's engagement ring, as well as the foreign one she asked Ashira about. In doing so, she took a closer look at it. On the inside was an engraved passage in an unfamiliar language. As she stared at it disbelievingly, the characters converted to something she could read: "Meant to be."  
  
As she read the simple words, flashes appeared before her eyes. She didn't remember these scenes, and yet, they were completely familiar to her:  
  
She saw a terrible creature that she could only describe as a dragon chasing after her…  
  
She saw a young man, pale-skinned and light-colored hair, with piercing red eyes with flames licking his body…  
  
She saw the young man turn into a young woman, much softer features overtaking the harsh male angles and blue irises consuming the burning red…  
  
She saw younger versions of the people that stood before her…  
  
She saw an angel swoop down and grabbed her outstretched hand as she fell…  
  
She saw a giant robot, gleaming in pearl-white metal with a proud blue cape flying in the wind behind it…  
  
The rush of images to her Mind's Eye made her collapse to her knees. She breathed deep, trying to calm her racing heart, but it didn't help. She was afraid that this Van person was right in telling her about her missing life. She wouldn't let herself believe these strangers.   
  
She glanced at the young girl standing in front of her, her small hands clasped together as if in prayer. Sellie lowered one of them to help her to her feet.  
  
"Mom…" she whispered.   
  
Hitomi looked up at her in fear. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I can't."  
  
She could see the hopefulness in Sellie's eyes -- *her* eyes -- deteriorate as her gestured hand fell to her side in defeat. I'm sorry… I just can't… you have no idea how hard this is on me…  
  
"Well done, Hitomi."  
  
The three adults and young girl pivoted their heads around, as well as Hitomi, to see the source of the voice. Van groaned in pain and anger as he predicted whose voice it really was.   
  
"Come on, Van," Ashira said as she stepped out from around the corner of the Temple. "Don't be so surprised to see me. I actually should be the one surprised to see you… alive." She scanned over the four people before her. "Ah yes. I see you've brought your ever faithful friends along. Let me guess… you've been trying to convince my Hitomi here that she actually belongs with you all?"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about, she *does* belong with us," Van retorted as he stood to his feet. He still hurt, but he would have to deal with it if he wanted Hitomi back.   
  
Ashira laughed. "Why would you fill her head with lies? She's already been through enough."  
  
"Yeah, no thanks to you!" Celena spat.   
  
"Ashira is my friend," Hitomi said.   
  
Van turned around. "She is *not* your friend, Hitomi," he said to her. "It's because of her that you've lost your memories. She took you away from us on Gaea and brought you here."  
  
"Hitomi lost her memories when she was hit on the head with falling debris while we were excavating on this archeological site," Ashira sighed. "Isn't that right, Hitomi?"  
  
"Ummm…" she stalled. "I think so."  
  
"Look! She doesn't even believe you!" Van pointed out.  
  
"Oh please. Is she really going to believe you?" Ashira shot back. "You're the one that murdered her husband."  
  
"You're the murderer, Ashira. We saw those corpses out in the jungle. That was your doing. Besides, she doesn't believe that," Van growled, but he looked back at his love anyway. "You don't believe that… do you, Hitomi?"  
  
Hitomi had already risen to her feet and was slowly taking steps backwards, away from the argument. "I don't know."  
  
Ashira snorted. "I don't have time for this. Tarn! Get over here."  
  
Van's eyes widened as he saw the Cassian ruler walk around the Temple's corner, his sword already drawn and a malicious glare on his eyes. A nasty gash was bleeding from his forehead, though Van had no recollection of how he got it. He immediately moved to hide Sellie with his body.   
  
Tarn grinned at Van. "Nice to see you're alive, Van," he said. "Now I'll have the joy of killing you with my own hands." He shifted his gaze to Ashira. "Whenever you are ready, My Lady."  
  
Ashira had already closed her eyes tight in concentration as Tarn was speaking. The wind danced about them, at first lightly, but it soon picked up at great velocity. Van could hear both Celena and Sellie cry out, but he wasn't able to move to them. In fact, he could not move anything at all.   
  
Suddenly, his feet were being elevated from the ground. As he glanced around, so was everyone else's. They all hovered in the air momentarily, but as Ashira lifted her arms, they moved upwards at an alarming rate. Van found himself wishing he could release his wings, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. Ashira was in control of them.  
  
They now floated above the oculus to the Temple, the only entrance as Gaea had said. As they lowered into the darkness, Van looked at Sellie. The expression on her face spoke exactly what was on his mind:  
  
How the hell were they going to get out of this?  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
Nice short little chapter. It was either this or one big long one, and I didn't feel like doing the latter. I haven't planned out exactly how many more chapters PDC is going to last, but I think it will be only three more, one of which will be the epilogue. Please be patient with me, I'm taking really important classes this quarter and I need to focus my attention on them. If the spirit moves me, then I will write.  
  
Notes: In RF, Hitomi's brother was named 'Koji' because I was unaware he actually had a name. I was soon bombarded with messages saying his name was Mamoru so it was changed in PDC. I have not changed it in RF because I don't want to go looking for the file and such. 


	18. Always With Me

Date. 04.20.2003  
  
Time. 10.09 pm  
  
Music. "Konstantine" by Something Corporate  
  
Chapter 18  
  
Copyright. I don't own Escaflowne. Or any of its characters. If I did, Van, Gaddes, and Dryden would be chained to my throne and getting me my Diet Cokes.  
  
Author's Notes. This one is definitely going to be a long one to write. Its not that my classes are taking up a whole lot of my time. I've just had this huge writer's block for what seems like forever. I mean, I know everything that's going to happen, but it's the matter of getting typed out on good ole Harry the Tomato here *whacks laptop*. Plus, a lot of my free time is spent searching for apartments for next year or animating. Gah.  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 18. Always With Me  
  
* * *  
  
For everything that had happened in the past few days, Sellie thought it was quite interesting how remarkably calm she felt. One moment, she was exploring this new world and tracking down her mother with a newfound power she didn't know she had. The next, she was held hostage by her own mother.  
  
It would almost seem like it was just another day in the life of Sellie Fanel.   
  
But when had things gotten to that point? That it felt so… ordinary. It was only how many days ago that she was skipping her studies to go fishing with Darmen and play with Lupin? Now, her eyes have been opened to dragons and ancient powers and family secrets.   
  
And the funny part was that she wouldn't have given a thing in the world to change anything that had happened.  
  
Well, except for the part about her mother being taken away. And whatever was going to happen in this Temple.  
  
They had descended quickly into the Temple's oculus. It was apparent that Ashira was in a hurry to get inside and do whatever she was going to do.   
  
Hitomi was so lost and confused, she noted, as Ashira had lifted them all off of the ground. She knew that in the moment she stared hard into her mother's eyes, she was not all *there* inside. She could sense that a part of her -- a large part -- was entirely missing. From what she gathered with their brief encounter, Ashira had apparently been egging Hitomi on that Van, Sellie, Allen, Celena, and Gaddes weren't on her side.  
  
But why hadn't Hitomi killed her when she had the chance? She had absolutely no recollection of either her or Van, so she could automatically assume that they were her enemies. Sure, having a sharp blade against her neck wasn't the most comforting feeling in the world, but she could have easily slit her throat at any moment.   
  
Why didn't she?  
  
It was obvious that though Hitomi could not remember Sellie's face, there had to be a subconscious memory of her physical presence imprinted into her memories. Funny that she felt no connection with Van, he being her "soul mate" and all.  
  
Sellie sympathized for her mother. They had both received so much information about their lives that they had no idea existed in a short amount of time. Though Sellie wasn't pleased that her parents had kept such secrets from her, she understood where they were coming from. It was for protection.   
  
However, Sellie was fully aware of the existence of Draconians and Atlantis. She just never knew she was apart of it all. Hitomi's memory was completely erased of all knowledge about her life on Gaea. She was starting things anew.   
  
And that fear of what was unknown to her was plastered on her face.   
  
As they descended deeper into the Temple's belly, darkness overwhelmed their features. She had glanced at her father before she lost sight of him and was terrified by his expression. He had no clue on how they were going to get out of this mess.   
  
"Welcome, my fellow Gaeans!" Ashira cried loudly into the abyss. "Welcome to what remains of Atlantis on the Mystic Moon."  
  
Sellie's feet hit something hard as she made impact with the Temple's floor. Ashira had let them down harshly, so her footing slipped a bit. She stumbled momentarily, but was able to regain her balance.   
  
The daylight streaming in from the hole at the top of the structure allowed her to adjust her eyes to the shadows. She could make out obscure outlines of her family and friends, but everything else was swallowed in black.   
  
"Let me *illuminate* your surroundings," Ashira continued. "I'm sure you'd like to see what Fate has in store for you."  
  
As her words ended, a dull light began to fill the Temple's interiors. Sellie's eyes widened in amazement as torches along the thick stone walls ignited themselves in a blazing fire. Their flickering light bounced off of the shadows and allowed her to examine her situation much more closely.  
  
The Temple of Kukulkan wasn't as elaborate as she had pictured it in her head. The room that they were in was cube-shaped, with a very high ceiling leading up to the oculus above. There appeared to be some sort of entrance that could have been used in the days of the Mayans, but it was barricaded with solid stone.  
  
In the center of the Temple, where they now stood, was the outline of a triangle carved deeply into the rock floor with a spherical indentation in its middle. The triangle's shape was repeated, growing larger as it spread across the floor. Three circles sat on the corners of the center triangle, one circle slightly larger than the other two.  
  
"Much better," Ashira murmured, looking around and wiping imaginary dust from her hands. "But what am I missing? Hum dee dum dum… I'm in the Temple, I've got exactly who I need here with me…"  
  
"Just what exactly are you planning to do here, Ashira?" Allen said coldly.  
  
"Silence!" Ashira held up a finger towards him. "Don't take that tone with me, good Knight, unless you would like it that someone here could lose their life due to your unmanageable tongue."  
  
Allen, narrowing his eyes in frustration, said nothing else. As did the remainder of the group.  
  
As Ashira continued to mutter (half to herself, half aloud to the others), Sellie quickly slipped Hitomi's pendant she had held in her tightly closed fist back around her neck. She had momentarily forgotten that she still had it in her hand and was glad to feel its familiar weight against her skin. The once-cool stone was now warm and tingling with energy.  
  
Ashira snapped her fingers, breaking Sellie's reverie. "I know! Tarn! The energist, please."  
  
The King of Cassia stepped up from behind the small young woman and produced a small leather pouch. Ashira grabbed it and opened the flap, revealing the same energist that beat within Dralion's jeweled heart in Escaflowne. As she carefully removed it from the carrier, it flew from her hand and landed directly into the half-sphere indentation at their feet. At the second the dragon heartstone made impact with the Temple's floor, the ancient structure began to rumble.  
  
The eighth triangle from the center one surrounding the energist began to crumble and sink below the Temple's stone floor. The outer rings followed the same suit, leaving the first eight triangles as an island in the middle. As each ring fell, an eerie red light from underneath the Temple grew stronger.  
  
"Ha ha! This is it!" Ashira cried with a maniacal laugh. "This is it!" With a wave of her hand, she hastily hovered everyone but she and Hitomi to the torch-lit walls. They landed in a jumbled heap, including Tarn, along with their weapons. Hitomi let out a cry of anguish, but Ashira grasped her hand and forced her into one of the smaller circles. "Sorry about this, but this has to be," she said with a twisted grin on her face as she settled herself into the large circle.  
  
Nothing happened. No reaction from the energist. No transfer of power. Nothing.  
  
* * *  
  
Van was the first to clamber to his feet, while the others struggled to disentangle their limbs from one another. The cascading triangles had stopped, leaving behind the platform where Ashira and Hitomi now stood towering over a giant pit. He crept out to the edge and glanced down, only to be met with an overpowering wave of sulfuric heat.  
  
That's lava down their, his mental voice told him. Don't mess with it. It will burn you through and through.  
  
He backed away, shifting his sight back to Ashira and Hitomi, then to his friends. Unknown to him, Tarn stood next to him with his arms folded and a proud smile boasting on his face.  
  
"This is a historic event," he said to them. "You're about to watch a mortal turn into a Goddess."  
  
Van knelt down and grabbed a sword, not caring if it was his own or not. Tarn saw him stoop, provoking him to draw his own weapon.   
  
"What do you get out of this, Tarn?" Van snapped at him. "What is in it for you for helping her?"  
  
"All the land on Gaea that I want," he replied, smiling.  
  
"Land," Allen said flatly. "That's it? You killed your son for land?"  
  
"No, no," Tarn explained. "Not just any land. *Your* land, Knight. And *your* land, Fanel. My Lady agreed that I could have any kingdom I wanted and combine them with Cassia. Why do you think I had all those conferences with you? I wanted to see if your pathetic countries were worth my while." He looked back across the way. "Cassia will be the only remaining kingdom when I'm through."  
  
"You've gone mad, Tarn," Van said slowly. "You really believe that Ashira will keep her word? She's insane!"  
  
"Maybe," the Cassian replied thoughtfully, then shrugged his shoulders. "Who really knows?" The gleam in his eye and smirk on his lips taunted Van as Tarn shifted his gaze towards the two women in the center of the Temple. But that smirk disappeared and shifted into a frown.  
  
"Why is nothing happening?" he murmured.   
  
Van took his opportunity to inch out closer to the unstable edge and check back on the lava pit below. Another blast of heat hit his face, this time, bringing a sting to his skin. He breathed deep and reached to pull of his shirt.  
  
A hand stopped his own. He looked down to see Sellie, who had remained silent during this ordeal, looking up at him, her eyes surprisingly calm and collected.   
  
"Dad, don't fly over there," she said softly. "You will not make it. You are not allowed."  
  
Van looked at her oddly. "Sellie, I can't sit here and watch her get hurt… or even worse."  
  
"I know, Dad," she replied coolly. "But you are not the one meant to save her this time." She squeezed his arm. "Trust in me. I had a vision of this before. You must let whatever is going to happen, happen."  
  
Allen stepped forward. "Sellie, what did you See?" he asked gently.  
  
She didn't bother changing her eyesight to face Allen. "I Saw fire, I felt heat," she said. "I was on that pillar and I Saw a figure walking towards me. Whoever that figure is, that's the person that will save her and us."  
  
Van took a quick glance at the others. Celena looked frightened but determined, raising her hands in a question-like manner: what are we going to do?  
  
He breathed deep and exhaled loudly, not admitting his defeat, but only his break in the battle to uncover what happens next.  
  
* * *  
  
Hitomi watched Ashira as her emotions shifted from her enthusiasm to rage and frenzy. Ashira, her would-be partner/assistant and the only person who had been helping her throughout her spell of amnesia, had completely morphed into a power-driven lunatic. Her heart stalled when she saw her sweep her hand and mentally knocked that odd group of people, thinking that they were going to fall deep into the chasm surrounding the platform. Thankfully, the madwoman had only transported (not carefully, she noted) to the remaining part of the Temple floor a-ways from where she now stood.  
  
Confused as to what was going to occur, she slowly knelt down, her eyes never leaving the crazed blonde woman in front of her.   
  
"Stay where you are!" Ashira screeched at her, pointing a menacing finger. Hitomi could do nothing but comply; the powers that she had only tapped into recently were nowhere near what Ashira could do.   
  
Was it true? She found her own mental voice whispering into her ear. That the life that man and his daughter spoke of was her own? She had dismissed them earlier, not knowing what to believe, but now she found herself reflecting on her rash decision. Had she made a crucial mistake that could possibly destroy her real life?  
  
As Ashira screamed and raved at the silent energist, Hitomi took a quick look across the pit towards the others. The dark-haired man was staring directly back at her, pain and anger etched into his soot-covered face. The girl that she had held hostage, Sellie, was also looking at her, a hand held tightly onto her father's arm. They looked as though they were waiting for something to happen.  
  
Waiting for what Ashira had planned all along… she thought grimly. Everything she had been told was a lie. They were not here on an archeological dig. Hitomi could not remember if she had any experience in its studies, but she was well aware that a hefty excavation such as this one required a much larger team then just two people. Her quick thinking mind was already in doubt of Ashira's original intentions.  
  
She moved again, this time, out of her circle. Ashira had caught her movement and glared at her angrily.  
  
"What the hell did I just tell you?!" she snapped. "Stay still!"  
  
Hitomi shook her head. "No," she said firmly. "I am not going to allow this to happen."  
  
Ashira balled her hands into fists, sparks of energy already flying. "Why, you ungrateful little…" she whispered angrily as she stepped forward menacingly.   
  
Hitomi held her hand up, halting Ashira in mid-step. "No, it's you who is ungrateful," she said swiftly. "I don't want any blood shed here." She looked back over across the gap. They had stiffened in position when they saw that she was going to be attacked. "I believe them when they say they are my family. I can *feel* it."  
  
Ashira relaxed and looked at her curiously. "Your… family?" she repeated. She, too, followed Hitomi's gaze, shifting her focus from Van to Sellie.  
  
"Of course," she whispered excitedly. "How could I have been so stupid? She even *looks* like you. The Power of Atlantis must be here… all of it… in order for the transfer to work." She looked back at Hitomi, the smile on her face broadening. "We don't have all of it. You must of… passed some of it on… when you had HER!"  
  
* * *  
  
Van had caught Hitomi's gaze as she looked over at them. She had moved from where Ashira had placed her and held up her hand. Ashira was moving in to attack her, but Hitomi must have stopped her. He tensed up with anger. Although he knew that his love had such strength inside of her that she'd be able to take care of herself, he still wanted to be there to defend her.   
  
Soon, Hitomi was speaking to Ashira, her hand still raised at the younger woman. Ashira's features converted from irritation to confusion as she also looked towards Van. But as her blue eyes altered from his to Sellie at his left, he gradually realized exactly what Ashira's criminal mind was plotting.  
  
She knows… he thought. She knows who Sellie is to Hitomi… she knows she has some of the Power…  
  
But Van was still a step behind Ashira's thinking. Even as he understood what was going to happen next, he was too slow to do anything about it. He watched in horror as Ashira raised her hand towards his daughter and psychically snatch her. Sellie gasped at the sudden pressure surrounding her body as she was yanked from her stance and pulled across the pit.  
  
He had no time to react. His body wouldn't respond to his commands to grab her before her feet had left the ground. Disregarding Sellie's words about him using his wings to fly across, he charged aggressively, his brows narrowed in fury.   
  
"Van, no!" Celena cried. She clamped onto his arm and pulled with all of her might to keep him away from the edge. Allen quickly came to her aid, holding back his other side.   
  
"Let me go!" he shouted, trying to shake them off. He managed to slip his left arm out of Celena's grasp and shoved Allen back with it. The Knight Caeli stumbled back, but was able to stay on his feet.   
  
Van was about to let his wings rip through his skin and shirt when a wall of liquid flame burst from the cavity. He had no choice but to stop, wondering how he was going to get through this obstacle.  
  
The wall of lava and fire had completely encircled Ashira, Hitomi, and Sellie within. It reached the ceiling of the Temple, already darkening the stone and burning the jungle growth.  
  
There was absolutely no way for him to get in now. Furthermore, there was no way for them to get out of the Temple. They were stuck.  
  
* * *  
  
Hitomi had let her guard down the moment she saw Sellie hovering over the lava pit, headed in their direction. Ashira caught her slip and felt the force field holding her back diminish. As she still held Sellie within her mental grasp, she raised her free arm and shoved Hitomi back to her spot on her circle. As she did this, she also noticed Van in the corner of her eye. He looked as though as he was going to try and fly across. Can't have *that* happening now… she thought with a grin spreading on her lips. She released Hitomi and purged deep within her to muster up all of the energy she could possibly handle. She could feel the unbearably hot lava at her control and commanded it to protect them. In a fraction of a second, a wall of magma surrounded them, keeping the oculus above the only means of them escaping.  
  
Well, just *her* escaping.  
  
She turned her attention back to Sellie and placed the girl firmly onto the remaining circle. As her feet touched the ground, the energist in the center automatically reacted and glowed a furious white. An unearthly wind began to whip around them.  
  
Ashira lifted her arms, embracing it all.  
  
* * *  
  
Sellie found herself stuck to the ground. She looked around and saw Hitomi struggling too. She shifted to see Ashira standing still with her arms spread out and her eyes closed.   
  
In front of them, the energist glowed brightly, engulfing the three women in its light. Sellie tried shielding her eyes from the glare, but it was no use.   
  
Suddenly, a bolt of light shot straight up and out of the Temple. Sellie lifted her head to see the beam of intense energy continue into the sky, which (she hadn't noticed) had darkened drastically. Both Hitomi and Ashria looked skyward as well, watching the light with frightened curiosity.   
  
To Sellie's surprise, the light appeared to explode where the stars would ordinarily seem to be. As she watched in wonder, a terrible noise and feeling shook her. It was almost as if the sky was being ripped apart above their heads. She clutched her chest, but continued to watch. A giant tear around the pillar enabled them to see a bright blue-and-green planet beyond the light.  
  
It's Gaea… she thought to her dismay.  
  
At the moment that the thought of her home and planet's destruction was almost at hand, two more identical beams of light shot out from the energist at her and Hitomi. A icy sensation filled her as she felt the energy blast directly through her heart. She could do nothing but suffer through the great pain that overwhelmed her small body. She managed to see her mother holding her chest as well, her teeth grimaced in the devastating hurt.  
  
Something is being taken away from us… her mental voice screamed. It's taking the Power of Atlantis away from you… you must get it back!   
  
Both beams of light retreated back into the energist, leaving Sellie feeling drained of all her strength. She knew that a part of her was gone inside of that dragon's stone, that the voice inside of her head said she needed to get it back.  
  
She found that she could move, but her body screamed at her every time she tried to move her muscles. She felt so sore all over and had the desire to lie down and stay still forever.  
  
No! You must get up! You must fight!  
  
She took a quick peek at her mother, ignoring her mental demand. Hitomi was bent over, kneeling and breathing very hard. She looked up and caught her daughter's gaze, letting out a harsh cough. Sellie winced. She didn't look too good.  
  
The energist pulsated madly, threatening to attack them once more at any moment. Sellie tried to brace herself up and take in another blow. As she predicted, the energist did shoot out one more beam of light, but at Ashira this time.  
  
The young blonde woman laughed like a maniac as her body began to glow the same unnatural light as the energist. But instead of the dragon heart extracting her own portion of the Power of Atlantis, Sellie knew that she was gaining Hitomi's and hers. Soon, she would be invincible.   
  
* * *  
  
Van felt sick as he knelt before his fiery barrier. Not only was his stomach churning in agony, but his heart was throbbing in pain. Within a second, he had lost two of the people that mattered most in his life. Now, a wall of fire was all that separated them and he wasn't able to get through it.  
  
They're not dead yet! Don't give up hope!  
  
He tried to listen as his conscience reasoned with him, but every last shred of hope that he had left the moment that Sellie and Hitomi disappeared from his sight. He was powerless, just a mere Draconian with the ability to produce wings. Nothing that would help his family.  
  
NO! Do NOT give up hope!  
  
He closed his eyes, beginning to believe what his mental voice told him. No… what am I thinking? he asked himself. I mustn't give up… I must trust what Sellie said… I mustn't give up hope…  
  
"I mustn't give up hope," he whispered aloud.   
  
"Van! What's that?!"  
  
Hearing Celena's voice cry out, Van opened his eyes to see light brighter than the fire piercing through.  
  
"The time for My Lady has arrived!" Tarn shouted gleefully. "I will soon have the lands of Gaea and she will control the Mystic Moon! This is the…"  
  
Tarn never finished his sentence, for he was silenced from Allen swinging around and striking him squarely in the face with his sword's handle. The King of Cassia crumpled to the ground, knocked completely unconscious.  
  
"Thanks," Van said without breaking eye contact with the light.  
  
"Don't mention it," replied Allen, a grin spreading on his lips.   
  
But taking out grudges against Tarn wouldn't help him out now. Some sort of supernatural activity was occurring behind this wall, and he had no idea who would come out victorious.   
  
He could only keep his hopes up that his girls were a part of the winning team.  
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
07.01.2003 UPDATE. Finally! After a 3 month break, I'm back in action. Sorry it took so long but I had to concentrate on the end of my quarter. Though I did very well on my finals, my plans for an apartment ended on a bitter note and fell through at the last minute. It wasn't exactly how I wanted to celebrate the end of the year, but whatever. This chapter was originally going to be one long one, but I decided to split it up into two. Kinda felt a bit odd writing one huge (for me) chapter. The second part should be up later on this week. Expect Chapters 20 and the Epilogue to come out towards the end of July/August. 


	19. Come Down the Ancients

Date. 07.01.2003  
  
Time. 11.20 pm  
  
Music. "Riot Coming Soon" by Radar Rose  
  
Chapter 19  
  
Copyright. I don't own Escaflowne. Enough said.  
  
Author's Notes. Now that it is summer and I'm gainfully unemployed, I have found plenty of time to work on PDC. I'm still struggling with writer's block, but hopefully, it'll fade away as I get closer to the end. Plus, I'm a little occupied by my next collaboration project: "My Big Fat Elvish Wedding" starring Aragorn and Arwen. Keep a lookout for an all action figure picture show coming to your computer soon _  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 19. Come Down the Ancients  
  
* * *  
  
Hitomi ached all over. Her legs, her arms, her head, her heart, her soul. Everything felt like it had been probed, prodded, and torn apart. Seeing the small girl to her left made her hope that Sellie was faring better than she. She would not wish this upon her worst enemy.  
  
Wait a minute. Yes. Yes, she would. She'd wish this upon Ashira.  
  
The younger woman looked physically exhausted, but so full of energy and life at the same time. The beam of light that engulfed her had retracted back into the energist, leaving Ashira breathing hard and staggering in her posture. Hitomi wondered if she would able to have the strength to push her off of the pillar and into the lava pit below.   
  
But as Ashira opened her eyes to look around in wonder, the ground began to shake violently. Both Hitomi and Sellie were thrown from their circles aggressively, neither of them having the strength to hold themselves up.  
  
Hitomi landed harshly on her side, almost knocking the air out of her lungs. She remained there for a moment, trying to regain some of her might back before she even attempted taking Ashira on.  
  
"Mom!"  
  
The cry for help made Hitomi jolt from her rest. She worriedly looked around for Sellie, but could not find her anywhere.  
  
"Mom!"  
  
She was over the edge… she thought. She crawled over to see the black-haired girl clinging onto a protruding stone for her life. Her feet tried mercilessly to gain some leverage, but it was useless. The pillar that they were on was ancient; every time she'd try digging her foot into the rock, it would crumble and fall down into the lava pit.  
  
"Mom, help! Please!"  
  
Hitomi hesitated. Although she stood up to Ashira and told her what she believed in, she still uncertain about this girl being her daughter. But a tremendous feeling took over her and she reached out for the girl's hand desperately. "C'mon, take it!"  
  
Sellie looked at it as if it were going to bite her. "I… I can't!"  
  
Hitomi stretched her arm as far as she could. "You must! Trust me, I'll catch you!"  
  
Sellie stared at her, then slowly, she began to move her right hand from the stone. Carefully, she inched it up to where Hitomi's hand was, her fingers brushing against hers. With all of her remaining might, she pulled herself up the rock and grabbed onto her mother's hand. Hitomi caught her in a firm grasp, and the instant their skin made contact, she Saw things once more in her mind:  
  
She was no longer on a pillar in the middle of a collapsing Mexican temple. She found herself suddenly in what appeared to be a medieval Japan-type world. Or that's what it seemed like to her. The building structures reminded her of the old temples she'd seen in her high school history books, but they were also unfamiliar to her.  
  
In a flash, she was in a garden, surrounded by exotic flowers and plants. It was before dawn, she could tell. The sky was lightening, but it hadn't lost the nighttime appeal. Before her eyes was a gazebo, built with intricate designs in the light-colored wood. She blinked, and a woman appeared before her. She was short in stature, but looked as though she was an older version of Sellie, her tumbling black locks knotted with wild flowers and ivy. Hitomi blinked again and the woman was gone with a deer replacing her.  
  
Another flash. This time, she was out on a sunny courtyard by a fountain. Something fuzzy ran past her and she followed the motion. She managed to catch two small children running to a woman with open-arms. Well, at first glance, she looked like a woman. Hitomi observed the woman's face when she knelt down and hugged the children. To her surprise, she had the features of a cat and of a woman at the same time. Large feline ears stuck out of her reddish hair and a long striped tail twitched underneath the sundress that she wore. Hitomi was so intrigued by this cat-woman that she hadn't even noticed the children having tails as well.  
  
Flash. Gone were the cat people and the bright courtyard that they were playing on. She found herself in a dark room on a vast bed, sheets entangled about her and the comforter halfway off in a jumbled heap. Candles adorned the walls, flickering on objects in the vicinity. As her eyes adapted to the darkness, she soon became conscience that all she wore was a light cotton nightgown and that a man's naked arm was draped lazily about her waist. She shifted slightly to see mussed-up dark hair hidden in the cradle of her neck, feeling his lips upon her flushed skin. She followed his arm to see a gold ring upon his finger that matched the one that she wore.  
  
"Meant to be."  
  
Flash. She was still in bed, but sunlight was pouring in through the windows. Her bed was much smaller than the large one her previous vision showed her, almost as if she was in a hospital bed. She felt pain in the lower portion of her body and sweat dripping down her face, but she ignored it. Instead, her full attention was solely upon the small bundle of blankets she held in her arms. That dark-haired man was sitting partially on the bed, peeking within the folds to reveal a beautiful baby's face inside. The baby looked back at her with wide, curious eyes. Her own eyes. In that moment, she could feel all the love she had for this baby, this small little girl that was born of her and Van.  
  
Van… Allen… Celena… Gaddes… Gaea… Mystic Moon… Tarn… Ashira… The Power of Atlantis…  
  
Sellie.  
  
She remembered. She remembered about her two lives: on Earth and on Gaea. She remembered her purpose.   
  
She remembered who she was.  
  
"Sellie!" Hitomi grabbed her daughter with her other hand and pulled upwards. Sellie released the rock she was still holding onto and grasped the edge of the pillar to help pull herself up. But as she was almost to the top, she caught Ashira glaring back at them with a horrible smirk on her face. Another tremor shook them, knocking the outer triangle ring loose and sending them both falling down to the lava.  
  
Hitomi had not let go of Sellie's hand. With amazing efforts of energy that she didn't realize she still had, she released her Draconian wings from their hiding place and spread them wide. She immediately felt the scorching burning from the lava below, but she didn't care. She had to get Sellie to safety.  
  
She pulled the girl into her body and held her in a firm embrace. Fighting the drafts of heat, flame, and the falling debris, she struggled to ascend higher to the oculus above and out of harm's way.   
  
A large rock fell towards them. Hitomi barely had enough time to dodge it before it fell into the lava, but not enough to escape its splash. Several large drops of the molten rock splattered all over her left wing. She screamed out in pain and faltered in flight, but still kept hold of Sellie in her arms. Tears streaming down her face, she flapped as hard as she could, trying desperately to pay no heed to the burning wounds. With her last ounce of strength, they landed onto the pillar in a collapsed heap.   
  
Sellie immediately wiggled her way out of Hitomi's possession and began to tend her mother's wounds. They were bad. The lava had burnt through her white feathers and left angry red burns near the base of the wing. Hitomi was breathing hard, but she able to lift her head and smile at Sellie.  
  
"I… remember you," she murmured.   
  
It took a moment for her to process what Hitomi had just said. It didn't seem like the thing to say when someone just received life-threatening injuries. But it was soon evident that it dawned on her for Sellie's happiness appeared on her face almost instantly. She hugged her mother tightly, joyful that she had found her alive and was able to return the embrace.  
  
Hitomi stroked her hair, not caring for a moment that her wing could be permanently damaged for the rest of her life… not caring for a moment that the pillar was still unstable and deteriorating… not carrying that they might not leave this Temple alive. "Sellie… my beautiful Sellie…"  
  
"Awwww… isn't this disgustingly touching?" Ashira quipped. "What a wonderful reunion between mother and daughter."  
  
Hitomi, with some help from Sellie, stood up and looked grimly at the younger woman. "You took me away from her," she snapped back.  
  
"Ah, I'm guessing that you got your memory back," Ashira noticed. "Too bad."  
  
"Ashira," Hitomi said. "You must give me the Power of Atlantis. You were not meant to have it."  
  
"Pity," Ashira sighed. "After all that trouble too…"  
  
"Do you not understand?" Sellie cried. "You aren't supposed to be its host. Because of you, Gaea is being destroyed as we speak!"  
  
Hitomi looked at her strangely, surprised by her daughter's sudden outburst.   
  
"My dear girl," Ashira said snidely. "Do you really think I want that pathetic world? Each and every culture there is centuries behind what the Mystic Moon inhabitants have already created. Flying machines, communications, computers, and most of all… weapons… mass destruction weapons."  
  
As she spoke, Hitomi's stomach sank as she realized what Ashira was getting to.  
  
"You want Earth?" she whispered.  
  
Ashira smiled. "You have no idea what you left behind."  
  
Hitomi staggered, the pain from her wing slowly overwhelming her. "Yes, I do. I left my mother and brother and friends. Though the people of Earth may have technology far more advanced than Gaea, they are still the same as those people on Gaea."  
  
"If I can control the Mystic Moon, I'll be invincible," Ashira said proudly. "I can feel the Power flowing through my veins. I can feel both of your pulses fluctuating and spiking because of your fear. I feel more alive now than I have felt in years. With this, there'll be no stopping me."  
  
"Yes, there will be," Hitomi replied softly. "Gaea and Earth are linked together. They are balanced. If something happens to Earth, Gaea will soon fall. And the same will occur if Gaea becomes unbalanced."  
  
"Enough!" Ashira shouted. "I'm done with you. And your daughter." With this said, she clenched her fists.   
  
Hitomi stood tall, her once-happy features now tired and sad staring right back at Ashira. She only broke her gaze to see that Sellie had grabbed her hand and squeezed it.   
  
"You both dare to stand up to me?" Ashira asked, her eyes glowing madly. "You and who else?"   
  
As she raised her hand to deliver the fatal attack, Hitomi and Sellie closed their eyes and awaited it.  
  
But whatever Ashira planned, it never came.  
  
* * *  
  
The first thing that Sellie noticed was that the howling wind had ceased almost immediately. The pillar beneath her feet that had been trembling violently stopped. She chanced it and opened her eyes to see what had happened.  
  
To her amazement, the column of fire that had encircled the three of them had frozen. Embers that had wafted from its source floated in mid-air, still threatening to burn anyone.   
  
She quickly squeezed Hitomi's hand again. "Mom! Look!"  
  
Hitomi glanced around, confused to what she saw. "How did this…" she began.  
  
Even Ashira was puzzled.   
  
"How did you do this?!" she shrieked. "You have no power! I have it! I have it all! No one can stop me! How did you do this?!"  
  
"She didn't put a stop to all of your conjurings, dear Ashira," a loud male voice announced. "I did."  
  
Sellie whipped her head around to see a tall shadowed figure joining them on the pillar who was not there a moment ago.   
  
He's the one from my vision… she thought. The one who will help us.  
  
Ashira screamed. She blasted lethal energy, what she had meant to shoot at Hitomi and Sellie, but the stranger merely deflected it. Angered even more, she fabricated a giant energy ball and threw it at him. Once more, it had no effect on him.  
  
As Ashira launched attack after attack at the mystery man, she grew weaker. Her body had not yet adjusted to the new addition of Power added, so it was draining her of her life force. Soon, she was on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.   
  
The man simply stood there, watching her in the shadows. Cautious, Sellie took a step forward. "I've seen you before…" she said. "In a dream."  
  
The man stepped forward, revealing his face to her. He was neither young nor old. Though his skin had no wrinkles in it, his eyes revealed his wisdom beyond the ages. His scruffy red hair fell into his eyes, somewhat like her father's did. He wore red robes with a matching sash over his shoulder.  
  
He knelt down before Sellie and smiled at her. "You knew me before your dream, child," he said softly. His voice felt familiar to her. "Don't you remember?"  
  
It was there. The stranger's name. It was there… on the tip of her tongue. "Who are you?" she asked.   
  
"Here. Look into my eyes," he replied. "For eyes are mirrors into the soul and they always speak the truth."  
  
As Sellie looked into the man's eyes, a well-known feeling washed over her like a warm summer breeze. Though she had no idea how in the world it was possible, how he was able to stand before her like this, she knew who he was.   
  
"Dralion?"  
  
He smiled wider. "There. That wasn't so hard now, was it?"  
  
Sellie felt relief, confusion, and alarm running throughout her all at once. She didn't know whether or not to be afraid of him or run into his arms and give him a hug.  
  
His arms. He was human.  
  
"You're Dralion." She simply stated it, not asking if it were true.  
  
"That's right."  
  
"But… you're not… a drag--"  
  
Dralion held his hand up to stop her. "Yes, I know," he said. "Thought it would be a bit easier if I looked like this."  
  
She smiled again, overwhelmed that he was there, standing in front of her. But another realization hit her and she stopped smiling. "You're dead," she said flatly.   
  
He sighed. "Yes, that too." He looked up at her mother, who had no clue of what was going on. "And you must be the lovely Hitomi that your husband, your daughter, and your friends have been searching for."  
  
"Uh… yes, I guess I am," Hitomi managed to cough out a reply. "Ummm, I'm grateful for everything that you've done--" she gestured to the motionless atmosphere, "--but why exactly are you here?"  
  
Dralion returned his gaze back to Sellie. "I'm here to bring my soul mate back with me," he replied.  
  
Sellie's heart leapt. It seemed like so long ago when he had told her the story about his soul mate that she had almost forgotten it. What was her name? Aerin? She was the Queen of Fanelia at one point and Sellie was her descendent.   
  
She was always somewhat curious about this Aerin-and-Dralion situation. Plus, she always felt odd whenever Dralion stared into her. Just like the way that Dralion was looking at her now. Why was he really sent to protect her… she asked herself. Could she be the one?  
  
Dralion must have seen the gears in her mind working because he stood to his feet. "You remember me telling you the story about Aerin, right, Sellie?"  
  
She nodded. "You said that she'd come back to you at some point," she said, recalling the tale.   
  
"It was partially because of my involvement with her that I lived for so long," he said. "It was also partially because of you as well. Did you ever think that both of your fates were linked to one another? That all of our fates were linked?" He stood up and walked over to Ashira, who was now on her side, helpless. "Why is Ashira always attacking you and your family? Did you ever wonder why that her target was only the House of Fanel?"  
  
Sellie had pondered that question throughout her adventure during the past few days. Why her family? Ashira had no quarrel with anyone else but the Fanels, yet Sellie was sure that her parents never did anything to her that earned that kind of revenge.  
  
Then it dawned on her what Dralion was really saying. Why he was speaking about Ashira.  
  
Sellie was not Aerin reborn as she thought she was.  
  
"Ashira is Aerin," she concluded.   
  
"Aerin has been going through her lives seeking revenge," Dralion continued, gently lifting Ashira into his lap. "She never wanted to live with the Fanelian king, but still, she was married off to him without choice in the matter. It almost killed her that she was forced to be with one man, but in reality, her heart belonged to something that wasn't even of her species. She was cursed with this hate for the man, or rather, the blood that condemned her to lead out that life, sleep with him, and bear his children. It made her lose her mind and somehow, this cursed her for all of her lives.  
  
"I was to remain asleep and hidden until I was called upon to protect and help you, Sellie. I hoped that by the time my task was fulfilled, I'd be able to go to the resting land and find my beloved. But when Gaea had awakened me and told me there was a slight change in plans, or rather 'fate', I knew that Aerin had something to do with it.  
  
"Was it just chance that I was sent to defend the descendant of the Fanelian king, whose veins ran with the very blood that Aerin was cursed to loathe? Being in such close contact with that Fanelian bloodline had to of triggered Ashira somehow, bringing out the hate that was buried deep within. Not only was I supposed to protect you, but I was supposed to pacify Aerin in Ashira."  
  
He stroked Ashira's cheek with his forefinger. The young woman still made no response to his touching her; she still muttered something under her breath and stared off into space.  
  
"I still don't understand," Sellie said, thinking over carefully what Dralion had just told her. "Ashira targeted my mother more than she did me or my father. Mom doesn't have Fanelian blood in her."  
  
"True, she doesn't," Dralion replied, still keeping his attention on Ashira. "But she was the most precious thing to your father. Ashira's instincts was to take her away from him, knowing that it would hurt him the most. Plus, she is Fanelia's Queen, Aerin's position. She and Hitomi have a connection there." He adjusted his position underneath Ashira. "Now, it is time to set things right, to pass the Power of Atlantis onto you, Hitomi."  
  
Hitomi still looked uncertain. "Why here?" she asked. "I don't understand why we are on Earth right now. If the passage connecting Gaea to Earth was supposedly closed, why is there a temple deep in Central America that is related to Atlantis?"  
  
"I'm a little vague of how Ashira found out about the Temple's existence, but I was briefly filled in on why it was settled here," Dralion replied. "I am aware that here on Earth, the existence of Atlantis is no more than just a legend, am I correct?"  
  
Hitomi nodded. "I did research about Atlantis once I got back to Earth the first time," she said. "Plato wrote about the island in his works, but it was never proved that it truly existed at one point. But no one on Earth knows about the creation of Gaea except for my family and a few of my friends."  
  
"It did exist once, and the Atlanteans had the capabilities to travel at phenomenal speeds all over the world," Dralion continued. "That is how explorers and researchers here have never been able to pinpoint the true location. The original location does not exist anymore, and there is evidence all over Earth.  
  
"One Atlantean representative traveled here and conversed with the Mayans. Determined to spread the knowledge and wisdom that his people knew, the Atlantean taught the Mayans about astrology, which they soon became obsessed with. It has never truly been explained how the Mayans knew about the existence of several planets in this solar system, nor how they knew the length of an Earth year almost exactly.  
  
The Mayans revered the Atlantean as a god. His wisdom and knowledge spread throughout the other cultures. The Aztecs called him Quetzalcoatl, but we would know him better as…"  
  
"…Kukulkan," Sellie finished.   
  
Dralion smiled at her. "This temple is dedicated to him. Kukulkan had specifics about its structure, for he somehow knew that a day like this would happen. Perhaps his people prophesized it." He looked down at Ashira. "But before we transfer the Power, we must find out how she knew of this place." He moved himself out from underneath Ashira and settled down just in front of her. Staring deeply into her eyes for a moment, he then called to her in a gentle but commanding voice. "Ashira."  
  
Ashira was at once responsive to his voice, and she returned the gaze back into his own eyes. "Yes…" she replied softly underneath his hypnosis.  
  
Dralion did not break contact with her. "Ashira, how did you know about this Temple?" he asked.  
  
"My mother," she answered in the same simple voice. "My mother was a Draconian. She passed on the history of her people and her family onto me. Before I teamed up with Sekhmet when I was young, she told me the legend of Kukulkan… my ancestor."  
  
"You're related to Kukulkan?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"Yes," Ashira replied. "Mother informed me about this temple, and its purpose. But now I am all alone. Mother is gone. Sekhmet is gone. Tarn is gone. I have no one."  
  
"Ashira," Dralion said. "You know that is not true. You know that you will always have me and you know who I am. I know that you are tired and weary. But I would like to speak to Aerin. Will you let me speak to her?"  
  
Ashira, at first, made no reply to Dralion's request. A tear ran down her cheek but she made no attempt to wipe it away. "Yes," she whispered and blinked her eyes.  
  
Within that simple blink, Ashira's entire personality disappeared just before Hitomi, Sellie, and Dralion. Her placid features melted away into a trembling young woman who obviously did not recognize her surroundings. Her eyes darted at the motionless firewall still encircling them.  
  
"Where am I?" she asked loudly, the tone in her voice different and her words had a slight accent. She looked at Hitomi and Sellie. "Who are you?"  
  
"Aerin," Dralion said. "I know its been a long time, but do you recognize me?"  
  
Aerin, formerly Ashira, looked at Dralion for a lengthy time, then a smile slowly spread across her blank face. "Of course, my Dragonlord," she said. "I could recognize you anywhere." Her smile melted away. "But I do not understand what is occurring here. I do not recognize this place, nor these people. And you are human."  
  
"Yes, I am," Dralion replied. "But appearances mean nothing on the outside when the truth lies within, does it not?"  
  
She nodded in agreement. "Of course." She stared at him, her eyes welling with happiness. "It seems like an eternity since I have last seen you, Dralion," she said, touching his face with her fingers. "I feel like a great weight has been lifted from me now that you are here with me."  
  
"For always, dearest. It has been far too long." Dralion's hand went to Aerin/Ashira's that still lingered on his cheek and brought both of them down to his lap. "My love," he began, his voice sounding troubled. "It is time for you to come back with me. You have been wandering all over the world without direction filled with unrest. And now, it is my purpose to bring you home. So you can be at peace."  
  
"Home?" Aerin repeated. "Anywhere with you is home."  
  
Dralion leaned in and kissed her deeply. Aerin's hand wound itself around his neck and pulled him into her embrace more. But Dralion broke the connection and looked up to Hitomi and Sellie.  
  
"There is one thing that must be done before we go, my love," he said to Aerin. "You have something of hers -- " He nodded to Hitomi. " -- and I'm sure she'd like it back."  
  
He pulled Aerin to her feet and she looked at Hitomi and Sellie at great length. "Yes," she said. "My former self took away this possession that is only meant for you."  
  
Hitomi swallowed, then nodded, not knowing exactly what to make of these two people. "Uh, yes. Both of our worlds will be destroyed if I don't get the Power back."  
  
"Aerin, this woman is the Queen of Fanelia, as you once were," Dralion explained. "And this girl is her daughter, the only heir to the throne."  
  
Aerin's face grew distorted as soon as Dralion mentioned "Fanelia." Sellie was afraid that she'd do something terrible now that she knew their true identities.  
  
But her features grew soft and she smiled. "Am I assuming that it was not a forced marriage?" she asked.  
  
"No," Hitomi said firmly. "I love my husband and my daughter beyond all things."  
  
Aerin stared hard at her with Ashira's cool blue eyes. "Good," she said finally. "I hope that because of this love of yours will be more than what my marriage to my King will ever be."  
  
Sellie eased. Hitomi sighed. Dralion gestured to the circles surrounding the still-glowing energist.   
  
"Beloved, if you would be so kind as to stand here and put your hand on the energist," he said. "Hitomi, please stand in the larger circle and do the same as Aerin. Sellie, stand back here with me."  
  
Hitomi took her place in the circle and gave Sellie a reassuring smile. Then, following Dralion's requests, she and Aerin placed their hands firmly upon the energist.  
  
It was amazing to be a witness and watch the transfer of Power leave Aerin's body, travel through the dragon heartstone, then enter Hitomi's. As the wind whipped around the two women, Sellie saw the veins underneath her mother's skin glow a brilliant pink. She did not look like she was in pain, but it seemed as the intake of the Power was overwhelming her system. Aerin appeared completely exhausted.  
  
And then, it was over. Sellie remembered the removal being much longer, but then again, she was apart of it that time. The energist ceased to glow and both Hitomi and Aerin stumbled slightly.  
  
Sellie ran over and held her mother to her feet while Dralion seized Aerin.   
  
"Is it in there?" Sellie whispered. Hitomi nodded.  
  
"It is done then," Dralion said to them. "The Power of Atlantis is now in your control, Hitomi. Lead Fanelia and Gaea to the peace that they deserve."  
  
"We will," Hitomi put her arm around Sellie and smiled at her, though she looked very tired.  
  
Dralion lifted Aerin into his arms and held her tightly. "Oh, and Sellie?" he said.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Use those wings of yours whenever you can."  
  
With those words, Dralion and Aerin began disappeared in a divine light, leaving Hitomi and Sellie behind on the pedestal.  
  
The still wall of fire began to rotate in a roar around them once more, as the stationary rocks in midair began to fall.  
  
"We've gotta get out of here, Mom," Sellie said as a large portion of the ceiling by the oculus cracked. "This temple isn't going to hold much longer."  
  
Hitomi reached over and took the dull energist from its base and held Sellie tightly to her.  
  
"C'mon," she said as the energist and Sellie's pendant began to glow simultaneously. "Let's go grab your father."  
  
* * *  
  
It had only been seconds since Allen had punched Tarn when Van noticed that the light Celena had spotted was glowing even more brightly. And it was no longer a brilliant pink, but a whitish blue blaze.  
  
"What's going on!?" Gaddes shouted over the thunderous fire. Van only smiled. He could recognize that light anywhere.  
  
Suddenly, the liquid wall of fire broke above them and the intense light shot out of it. Appearing to have a mind of its own, it circled above their heads for a moment and descend towards them.  
  
"Van! Look out!" Celena shouted.  
  
"It's alright!" he managed to shout back as the light swept over and he became apart of it.   
  
The beam also grabbed Celena, Allen, and Gaddes before they had any time to protest, then shot straight upwards out of the Temple and towards the large rip in the sky, back to their homes on Gaea.  
  
The impact of the bright light's departure destroyed the already-crumbling Temple. Tarn had just managed to regain conscious due to the intense heat only in time to see a large portion of the ceiling cave in and fall on top of him. He could do nothing but scream as the stones crushed him to death.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
For those people on Earth who saw the beam of light for about ten minutes that day could also see a different kind of phenomenon as well. The scientists at NASA and other space-oriented programs managed to capture many high resolution pictures of the vast tear in the sky over Mexico, but could not explain why there appeared to be another planet inside of it. They calculated that if such a planet existed, it would be just beyond the gravity of the moon and its orbit somewhere between Earth and Venus. Newspapers screamed headlines such as "Doomsday Upon Us!" with pictures of the occurrence underneath on the front page.  
  
The special secret governments, having no choice, released false information to the press and passed it off for a hoax, explaining that it had something to do with northern lights casting a reflection of Earth and that the light was actually a burning weather balloon.  
  
There were, however, a few on Earth who didn't believe the lie. They had heard the story of Gaea long ago and briefly saw it in the sky before the rip sealed itself up and the "phantom planet" disappeared.   
  
A phone call was made, informing others to be patient and wait, for this might have been a sign from someone lost to them so long ago.   
  
to be continued…  
  
* * *  
  
* 08.05.2003 UPDATE * So yeah. Sorry its been so long but I have been working almost non-stop at the Orange County Fair. I've been doing pretty much 15 hour shifts each day for three weeks. Not much fun, but I've had time to plan out the remaining last two chapters of PDC. And it will definitely be two more chapters after this one. Hopefully, this installment will appease your appetites whilst I work on the others. I'm leaving for New York in a few weeks, so I'll be bringing the laptop around to type up the end. Sadness! 


	20. All Things

Date. 08.08.2003  
  
Time. 6.16 pm  
  
Music. "Free" by Vast  
  
Chapter 20  
  
Copyright. Nope. Don't own Escaflowne or any of its characters. Damn.  
  
Author's Notes. Don't have much to say for once. Let's get on with the story, shall we?  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Chapter 20. All Things  
  
* * *  
  
5 days later…  
  
"Oy! Didn't you hear me?! I said OY!"  
  
Kyia pointed a menacing ladle at the two servants sitting at one of the old wooden tables in her kitchen.   
  
"Quit your gossiping and take these mugs out to the men!" she snapped. "They're actually *doing* some work, unlike you two."   
  
The two girls bowed at her and obliged, hastily taking the tray of drinks from the countertop. But as Kyia went back to stirring her soup, she could still hear their excited giggles echoing down the halls as they spoke rapidly about something.  
  
You'd think that with all the activities as of lately, they'd have a more solemn attitude, Kyia thought to herself. With the Queen's disappearance and retrieval and the attack on the palace. People are beginning to talk. I wonder what other rumors are spreading throughout the city.  
  
She sighed loudly, wishing suddenly that her domain of the giant kitchen had windows. She wanted to see cheerful sunlight pouring in large squares of glass rather than barely seeing her own hand through the haze of smoke. It was a glorious day outside and she was the only one cooped up inside.  
  
Correction: there were two others inside besides her.  
  
As she stirred in her frustration, she heard a single person's set of footsteps walking down the hall. "It's not lunch yet!" she shouted, her back still turned to the entry way. "You'll have to tell your men they must wait for another hour!"  
  
"Ky?"  
  
"Oh my gods!" Kyia cried, recognizing the voice instantly. "Van!" She turned around, ladle still in hand, to see the young King looking at her strangely. "I'm so sorry! I thought you were one of the workers outside clearing out the airships!" She bowed quickly.  
  
"Oh, no," Van replied softly. "It's alright." He paused, glancing around the kitchen. "Ummm… did Healer Kayla leave the recipe for the soup she wanted? I told her that I'd go bring it back to the Infirmary."  
  
"Yes!" Kyia exclaimed, turning back to the pot she had been stirring. "It's just about done. Let me fetch you a couple of bowls and a tray." Still mixing with the ladle in one hand, she opened a cupboard overhead without looking and pulled out two simple wooden bowls. Van moved over closer to her and watched what she was doing.  
  
As she laid them out and began to scoop the hot soup into each one, she looked up at Van. "How is she doing?" she asked quietly.  
  
He sighed. "Better," he replied. "Kayla says that this resting state is just her body's way of regaining all the energy that she lost. She woke up last night for a little while, but soon fell back asleep. Kayla says that this soup with help her gain back strength."  
  
"It should," Kyia smiled. "With all the herbs that Kayla listed, the Lady should be up and running around the palace in no time." She paused, letting the smile on her face slip away. "But how are *you* doing?"  
  
Van studied her, but said nothing. "Honestly, I don't know what I feel at this point," he said finally.   
  
Kyia patiently waited for him to elaborate, but she could tell he really did not want to talk to anyone. He simply wanted to return upstairs and bring his wife food.  
  
She nodded at him and handed the tray. "Would you like something to drink, perhaps?"  
  
He shook his head. "But when your assistants return, please send them out to the garden to ask our guests if they'd like anything."  
  
"Sure thing, sire," Kyia said, watching him leave the room.   
  
* * *  
  
As he entered the courtyard outside, he heard the cheerful voices of men cleaning up the ship wreckage and clearing the rumble. There was still metal debris littered everywhere, but the crew had managed to remove the majority of it by using guymelefs, oxen and wagons.  
  
Hopefully, this place will look homelike soon enough, he thought as he went into the building containing the Infirmary.  
  
At least this building remain untouched when the Cassians attacked Fanelia less than a week before. Most of the palace was intact still, thanks to Dralion's "strategically placed" attacks.   
  
But as he wandered down the corridor leading to the Infirmary, his mind lingered back to what Kyia asked him. How are *you* doing?  
  
He had given her a honest answer, but he assumed that Kyia would like to know a little bit more than just that. He found her to be a good replacement listener in Celena's absences when he wanted to ask "women" questions. And she had turned out to be an excellent cook. Perhaps she did inherit her mother's gifts in culinary.   
  
Kyia had been grateful for Van offering her a position in the kitchen ever since her father died. It was what her mother did before she passed on and Van knew how much something like this would mean to her.  
  
But he couldn't describe in words exactly how he was feeling. Anger. Confusion. Happiness. Peace. Those were only a few of them, but there was so much more that he couldn't even begin to express.  
  
Van had been so lost in his thoughts that he did not even realize he was in front of the doors leading to the Infirmary. He shifted the tray and balanced it to one arm, then used the other to push open the door.  
  
The hospital wing was quite empty and Van thanked the gods for that. During the attacks, there weren't any casualties except for Palos, and very few people received minor injuries.   
  
Healer Kayla was organizing herbs and medical ointments on her wheeling trolley, but pointed to the far right room.  
  
"She's been wondering where you are," she said impassively.   
  
"How long has she been awake?" Van whispered.  
  
"About a half hour," she replied. "Make sure she eats all of her soup, then you can take her outside for a while. I'll have to check her out later on, but she should be able to return to her own room tonight. But remember: she's still weak, so don't over exhaust her."  
  
Van nodded as he walked directly to the curtained room. With a sigh, he pulled back the white drapery.  
  
Hitomi was sitting up in bed, her knees bent halfway up with a worn leather book settled in her lap. Van immediately recognized it as her journal that she had begun writing in shortly after Sellie's birth.  
  
But Hitomi was not paying any attention to what she had once written. Her head faced the slightly open window, but as soon as Van took one step into the room, she turned and smiled at him.  
  
"Hey," she said softly.  
  
"Hey," he replied. He set the tray of bowls onto her bedside table and wheeled it closer to her. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he settled onto the side of the bed.  
  
"Fine," she responded a little too quickly for Van's liking. "Alright, I'm a little tired."  
  
"Ky made you some soup that should make you feel better," he informed her as he handed a bowl to her. She sipped from the side and jumped in bed.   
  
"It's hot," she said. "I'll let it sit for awhile." She placed the bowl back on the tray.   
  
"Kayla said that my fatigue is due to all the energy I used up back there to fix everything what Ashira did," she continued after an unsettling silence began to fill the room. "…and that this is my body's way of recuperating for someone in 'my position'."  
  
Van nodded. "She said that you can get out of here in a little while. We'll go for a walk after your soup."  
  
"Alright." She folded her hands in her lap nervously. "How is everyone? Sellie, Allen, Celena, Gaddes…"  
  
"They're fine," Van answered. "They're down in the garden so I thought we'd stop on by there." He paused. "Sellie, however, suffered some of the same things that you did. Once we returned to Gaea, you were already unconscious. On our way up to the palace, Sellie collapsed from exhaustion. But after some rest, she was fine." He gestured to the next room. "She was right over there, and during the night, she'd sneak in here and spent the night with you."  
  
"Mmmm…" Hitomi muttered as a grin formed on her face. "I had a dream that she was by my side. Kayla said that she'd come in here and find you asleep in that chair and Sellie would be in the bed."  
  
"Yeah…" Van said uncomfortably. "Kayla also told me…" he paused to swallow. "…the diagnosis on your wing."  
  
Hitomi's smile melted away from her face. "Oh."  
  
"She tried the best that she could, but she's no expert of Draconian anatomy," he continued. "I tried to explain what occurred in the Temple, but after Ashira pulled Sellie away from me and put up the fire wall, I could only guess that you got burned by the fire or lava."  
  
Hitomi suppressed her dread. "Yeah," she swallowed.  
  
"Sellie confirmed it when she woke up and told me what all happened," he said. "But Kayla thinks that there's a possibility that it will never heal properly."  
  
"Meaning that I won't get to fly anymore," she snorted.   
  
"That's not exactly true," Van pointed out. "It just might mean that you won't be able to fly for awhile. Besides, the Power of Atlantis could fix it, right?"  
  
"Yeah, right," Hitomi said halfheartedly as she folded her hands upon her journal. She already knew the answer to Van's hopefulness. The Power of Atlantis doesn't work like that.  
  
Van leaned forward and gently covered his hand around hers. "At least you have your memories back," he said. "Sellie told me what happened after we were separated."  
  
Hitomi looked into her husband's eyes, clearing her throat before telling him her next set of troubles.  
  
"Van, there's something else that I must tell you," she said finally. "I know that when I grabbed Sellie's hand, there was some sort of connection between us… I could see things that were familiar and foreign to me. Somehow, she showed me images of my life… although I don't think she actually knew them or anything, and then *bang*… my memories of my life were returned." She paused. "But I still don't remember everything."  
  
Seeing the look on Van's face made her hold up her hand to stop him from saying something at that moment. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I know who you are, who Sellie is, who all my friends are… but I see these images in my head and I don't recognize them. Nor do I recall some things that I know should be important."  
  
"How do you mean?" Van asked softly.   
  
"Little things… big things… things I know I should remember but I can't," she replied, growing a little frustrated. "I don't recall what Sellie's first word was… I don't remember anyone's birthdays…" She looked into Van's eyes. "I don't know when or where was the first time we made love."  
  
She lowered her eyes to the book sitting on her lap. "I asked Kayla if she could someone to get me my journal that I keep in my room," she continued. "At least I could remember where I kept it or if I even had one. And I've been flipping through here and I've been reading even more passages that don't make any sense and… and…" she began to stumble over her words in aggravation.  
  
Van moved onto the bed and pulled her into him, trying to hush her. "Shhhhh… its alright… its alright…"  
  
She buried herself into his shoulder. "I'm so tired of all this, Van," she sniffed. "I want my life to return to normal."  
  
He stroked her hair gently. "Maybe it will, love," he said softly. "The Power of Atlantis is contained… completely. Hopefully, all of our lives will get back on track. And we'll work on your memories. Perhaps it just takes time for them to return."  
  
She leaned back and looked at him intently. "And I always thought I was the optimistic one," she observed, then added a deep sigh. "Van, this must have been such a difficult time for you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."  
  
He scoffed. "It's not your fault."  
  
"No, it is. I always thought that we'd tell Sellie about her heritage together. And then this happens and you had to take the blame all by yourself."  
  
"Well, actually, it wasn't that bad," Van replied. "I thought she was very mature about it. Plus, I had some help."  
  
"Oh, yes, this 'Dralion' guy?"  
  
Guy? "Yeah, him, and a few others."  
  
Hitomi squeezed his hand. "It was mostly you. I can feel it," she said. "Thank you."  
  
"Well, don't go thanking me just yet," he smiled. "What do you say we eat some lunch, Healer … checks you out, and we get out of here… go for a walk? Go find Sellie?"  
  
"Sounds like a plan," she agreed.  
  
* * *  
  
After their talk, the soup that Kyia had made had finally cooled down considerably. As Hitomi ate hungrily, Kayla performed some physical and psychological tests to make sure she was fit for leaving.  
  
Van briefly returned to their room and picked out something that she could wear besides her infirmary gown. As he stumbled through one of the armoire, his fingers grazed upon an old and worn garment. Curiosity consuming him, he pulled it out to inspect it closer.  
  
It was the same cloak that Gaea gave to Hitomi all those years ago when she "accidentally" returned. He had seen her wearing it a few times when Sellie was young, but she ceased to put it on since then.  
  
He tossed it onto the bed, along with a light-colored linen Fanelian sundress that she liked to wear during the summer. When he arrived back at the Infirmary, Hitomi was having her wings examined by Kayla.  
  
"Well," the Healer said after her inspection. "Your wing is looking a lot better than what was looked like last night, I can tell you that much. But it will definitely need a lot more time to heal than just one night. I'm going to release you, but I want you to come back daily so I can reapply the ointment and give you some meds."  
  
"Alright," Hitomi said. Van handed her the clothes he brought down and she briskly walked behind the white curtain to change in a whirl of feathers.   
  
"Sire," Kayla whispered as soon as the sheet grew still. "Are you sure about this?"  
  
"'Course I am," he replied in the same low voice. "I think something like this is exactly what she needs. I just hope that she'll be happy."  
  
"Why won't she?" she said in her undertone. "Just make sure that she is still calm and relaxed. She is still healing." She moved away from him as soon as she saw the curtains rustle and Hitomi step out.  
  
"Ready?" Van asked.  
  
"Yeah," she replied.   
  
As they descended down the stairs and entered the outdoor courtyard, Van stopped her.  
  
"Close your eyes," he requested.  
  
Hitomi looked baffled by this odd command, but she succumbed nonetheless. "Alright."  
  
He took her hand and led the way. "Now, no peeking," he teased.  
  
"Van, this isn't going to be much of a surprise," she said. "I've walked this path thousands of times. We're headed for the gardens. I thought we were going to see Sellie."  
  
"Just wait, you'll see," he replied.  
  
As they walked, Van coaxed her playfully. He'd lead her around in circles and backtrack to try and throw her sense of direction. However, although she had remained truthful and kept her eyes shut, she still knew where they were going.   
  
Finally, he stopped her again and dropped her hand. Hitomi felt his hands encircle her waist and push her gently forwards. "Are we almost there?" she laughed. "Can I look around?"  
  
"Just positioning you so you can see it better," he replied. "Alright, now."  
  
She slowly opened her eyes, and, at first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Van had taken her to the gazebo that he had given her years before, but there were many people surrounding the area. Hitomi had assumed that their friends had stayed, but this number seemed to be quite larger than the normal crew.  
  
They had seemed to be engaged in conversation shortly before she had arrived and had now quieted down, giving their full awareness to her. As she scanned the familiar and unfamiliar faces, a few stood out that she recognized. A few that she thought she'd never see again.  
  
"Oh my God," she breathed.  
  
On the gazebo swing sat Sellie. Sitting next to her was Hitomi's mother.  
  
Instantly, names went with faces. Mamoru, her brother, was standing with Dryden and Gaddes. Merle, Celena, and a woman that Hitomi didn't recognize had been entertaining the Twins and a human toddler. Yukari, Naoko, and Millerna were sitting on one of the marble benches while Allen, Amano, Rouen, and an unfamiliar teenager were grouped together behind them.   
  
Sellie had already risen to her feet and walked over to where Hitomi stood agape. "Mom," she said happily.   
  
Hitomi hugged her daughter tightly. "Sellie," she said dumbfounded. "How is this…? How did you do…?"  
  
"C'mon," the young girl replied. "We'll tell you all about it."  
  
Hitomi made her way to the gazebo, embracing her family and friends along the way. Mamoru had grown into a handsome young man and was now married to his high school sweetheart, Yoko. The toddler that was playing with the cat-girl twins was their daughter, Mizuru. Naoko, still single, was dressed in a fine business suit and told Hitomi about her line of work in the television industry. Yukari and Amano still lived in America with their son, Masuo, but traveled back to Japan frequently.   
  
At last, she made it to her gazebo where her mother still sat.   
  
"Mom," she whispered.   
  
Midori had already risen to her feet and opened up her arms to her daughter for a hug. Hitomi, already teary-eyed, leapt into her arms and held her firmly.  
  
"My God, Hitomi," her mother said. "You're still cutting your hair like a boy's?"  
  
Hitomi couldn't help but laugh. It was just like her mother to scold her for her appearance, even after all these years. "How is this possible?" she asked loudly when she pulled back. "How did you all come here?"  
  
"This was all Van's idea," Midori replied. "But I'm sure you'd like to hear the story."  
  
"When we all returned to Gaea, you were already out of it," Celena began. "We landed back where Escaflowne is, so Van picked you up and took you to the Infirmary. Along the way, Sellie grabbed my hand and told me she felt faint as she collapsed. Allen managed to catch her in time before she hit the ground and carried her. Kayla examined you both immediately and told Van that it was just exhaustion.   
  
"He ran outside and started yelling to the forest for Gaea to come out. As soon as she did, he started shouting at her to heal both of you. Gaea said that she did not have the strength to do so just yet, and that all you two needed was rest, so he needed to be patient. But then he proposed another idea."  
  
"Five days ago, there was this huge anomaly in the sky that nobody could explain, not even those scientists in all those space programs," Yukari continued. "They said it looked like a mirror planet to Earth. They made some bull story to explain it, but Amano and I were a little skeptical. At that exact same time it appeared, there were all these earthquakes and storms all over the world at the same time. A lot of people thought it was the apocalypse. We figured it had something to do with you guys , so I called up your mom. We just happened to be visiting my parents in Kamakura, too.   
  
"Mrs. Kanzaki knew, somehow, something was wrong with you. She could feel it or something. Then, the anomaly was gone and the storms stopped, but your mom still thought something was amiss. If we were able to see Gaea from Earth, why was there no contact from you? She told me to stay in touch just in case."  
  
"Lord Van had talked with Gaea in private for a long length of time," Merle proceeded in adding to the epic story. "Finally, he told me and Sellie to stay with you until he came back, but he never told any of us where he was going. Allen said he spotted a pillar of light, so we could only guess."  
  
"Dad was gone for an entire day, and when he came back, he had all these strangely dressed people with him," Sellie added. "He said that they were your family and friends from the Mystic -- I mean, Earth. Apparently, only he and I could understand them, but Gaea appeared and did… something, so that all of us could communicate with each other."  
  
Hitomi listened to the story, but only a portion had made any meaning to her. Her eyes lingered on Van, who had hung back behind the crowd and let the others speak. Just thinking about what a miraculous thing he had done for her made her eyes well with tears.  
  
"You did all this for me?" she asked when Sellie stopped.  
  
Van shrugged his shoulders. "It was the first thing I thought of when Gaea admitted that the bond between our world and the Mystic Moon had not been closed. If you were not allowed to physically leave Gaea, then I was going to do everything in my power to bring your friends and family to…"  
  
He was not able to finish his sentence, for Hitomi had run up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and brought him into a kiss. Gaddes let out a whoop as a few applauded. As they parted their lips, Kyia and a few servants brought out bottles of vino, water, and glasses for the guests.   
  
"Perfect timing!" Dryden exclaimed as several people walked over to retrieve a drink. Van snuck his arms around Hitomi's waist and looked upon her beaming face.   
  
"I don't know how I'm ever going to thank you, Van," she said softly.   
  
"Well," he replied, grinning. "I have an idea, but it'll have to wait until you get your 'energy' back again."  
  
"Van!" Hitomi cried, her face blushing slightly as she shoved him playfully. "My mother and your daughter are going to hear your 'illicit propositions'."   
  
"I don't care. Besides, we have all the time in the world." He let his arms move up to Hitomi's and held her hand, bringing her over to the multitude.   
  
"A toast!" Midori announced as she raised her glass. "To reunions!"  
  
"To family, immediate and extended," Mamoru lifted his.  
  
"To old friends," Hitomi nodded to Amano, Naoko and Yukari's direction.  
  
"To new ones," Yukari replied, shifting her glance to Millerna.  
  
"To children," Millerna voiced in, "Young--" raising her glass towards the Twins and Mizuru by Merle, "--and old," to Sellie, Rouen, and Masuo.  
  
"To engagements," Allen added, looking directly at Celena and Gaddes. Hitomi couldn't help to show interest in that comment. It's about time, she thought.  
  
"To the Mystic Moon," Dryden looked skywards.  
  
"To Gaea," Naoko said.  
  
"To new beginnings," Midori finished and brought the vino to her mouth as the others did the same.  
  
New beginnings, indeed… thought Sellie as she drank water. She slipped her hand into Rouen's and squeezed.  
  
* * *  
  
The remainder of the day and evening went by extremely casually. Hitomi obeyed Kayla's orders and remained calm throughout the afternoon as Sellie, Rouen, and Masuo ran off by themselves, soon joined by Lupin and Darmen, and the Twins and Mizuru went down for naps. The group was moved indoors out of the sun into one of the day parlors.   
  
Stories were discussed at great lengths about what everyone had done with their lives after Hitomi left but to her horror, secrets were brought to light about embarrassing accounts of the Kanzaki family.  
  
"I couldn't take it anymore," Mamoru was saying during a recollection of a sleepover. "Not only Hitomi's giggling, but Yukari's as well? Give me a first-class ticket straight to Hell instead." He soon described how he had set up a series of pranks to get back at the girls.   
  
"Ha! Don't forget how I got you back!" Hitomi retorted. "I bet all those creepy sounds from outside your door kept you up late at night."  
  
"That was you?" Mamoru asked meekly, sending everyone in hysterics.  
  
The crowd settled down and Yukari rose with a package wrapped in brown paper in her arms. "When we last saw Hitomi, she and Van told us the entire story of her first trip to Gaea," she said. "Which, unfortunately, Amano and I don't recall for some odd reason. Van apologized to me for being so rude to us and he explained how his world thinks that Earth is some sort of demon planet.   
  
"Anyway, during all the hectic chaos that occurred the past few days with the 'anomaly' and all, Van arrived at Mrs. Kanzaki's and told us about his plan. I managed to go out to grab some things and on the way, I found this. I thought it would help any Gaean understand what Earth is really all about."  
  
She handed the package to Hitomi and Van before sititng down quickly next to Amano. Hitomi pulled back the paper to reveal an enormous photography book simply entitled "The World." She flipped through some of the pages to look at the pictures and stopped at the section about Japan where someone had "accidentally" book-marked it.  
  
"Oh my God," she inhaled. "Look, Sellie. This is where I'm from." She held it out for all to see. "Thank you, Yukari."  
  
  
  
After a casual dinner had ended and an early evening's conversation had begun, Kayla demanded that Hitomi had to retire to her quarters for a full night's rest. Although she began to protest, she could feel the tiredness slowly overwhelming her. She surrendered and rose to head upstairs.  
  
"Don't worry, Hitomi," Midori said when she saw the look of disappointment on her daughter's face. "I don't think that we all will be up much longer. Van has been more than a gracious host and gave us such beautiful guest rooms. So we'll just see you in the morning."  
  
* * *  
  
"Sellie, I have to ask," Rouen said. He fidgeted on her bed while she was changing her clothes in her adjoining bathroom. "What exactly did you mean when you flew away on Dralion to Fanelia? You know, what you said?"  
  
After Kayla said that her mother should rest, the whole party began to leave moderately and head up to their rooms. Sellie had whispered to Rouen to come see her later on that night after everyone else had disappeared into their quarters.  
  
Sellie had been contemplating on what she should say to Rouen about her spontaneous actions. Luckily, he had kept quiet, waiting patiently for her to bring up the subject. She had told him she loved him. It must had been driving him crazy while she was gone.   
  
She emerged from her bathroom, her dark free-flowing hair spilling over an old linen shirt. "Rouen, you're my best friend, right?"  
  
"Well, yeah," he replied casually.  
  
"And you know I'd do anything for you?" she plopped down on the bed next to him. Lupin looked at them keenly from his makeshift bed in the corner. The wolf had been following Sellie relentlessly ever since she returned and his eyes had never lingered far from her.   
  
"Of course. And I would do the same for you. That's what friends are for."  
  
She lowered her head and began to fiddle with her hair. "These past few days have made me realize how precious and short our lives are," she said gravely. "It's made me realize how old I feel compared to how old I really am. I mean, a few days ago, Tarn was proposing a fixed marriage for me and his son! I thought it was such an absurd idea, but then it almost made sense to me."  
  
"How so?" Rouen asked.   
  
"Well, my father started his reign when he was fifteen years old," Sellie pointed out. "That's two years older than my age right now. With everything that has occurred lately makes me think that I've… grown up… and…"  
  
"Whoa, slow down," he quickly moved his hand to cover hers warmly. "I think I know where this is headed." He breathed in deeply, then exhaled. "You know I love you, Sellie. And I'm thinking that you may return the feeling, though you've been trying to hide it as of lately."  
  
"And then some," Sellie added.   
  
"But you're acting like its time for you to choose who you want to spend the rest of your life with at this very moment," he went on. "You are only thirteen, Sellie, as you said. You have plenty of time to plan your future. Yes, you will be Queen of Fanelia at some point. But that doesn't necessarily mean that it will be tomorrow. And yes, I will be King of Asturia one day as well. But I am trying to enjoy the last part of my childhood, as you should do also.  
  
"What I'm trying to say is slow down. You should still put a little more focus on your studies, but don't forget to have fun, too. And if you have feelings for me, then maybe we can move things slowly and…"  
  
Sellie leaned over and kissed him before Rouen could finish his statement. His eyes opened widely in surprise at the chaste gesture and stared intently upon her as she pulled away from him.  
  
"What was that?" he asked.  
  
"Me returning the feeling," she replied with a grin spreading upon her face. "I know that we're still young. Let's just go on from here remaining friends and see where it takes us, alright? We have all the time in the world."  
  
Rouen joined her in smiling. "Agreed." He stood up and moved towards the door.  
  
"Rouen?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"I do love you."  
  
He smiled again, though his back was turned to Sellie so she could not see it. "I know," he said. "Goodnight, Princess."  
  
* * *  
  
After Van had escorted Hitomi back to their room and made sure that she went straight to bed, he returned to the parlor they had spent most of the afternoon in to tend to their guests. Many of them had already finished off their last glasses of vino and were about to return to the guest room quarters. Dryden and Mamoru still seemed to be deep into intense conversation about economics and business.   
  
Van slouched down into his favorite armchair right next to the fire and poured himself some vino. The cool fluid rushing down his throat was just what he needed to help him go to sleep.  
  
"This was a noble thing that you did for my daughter, Van," Midori's voice said, startling him.  
  
"Oh, Midori," he jumped slightly out of his seat. "I figured you had gone to bed along with everyone else."  
  
"I'm about to. Will you walk me to my room?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Van downed the remaining vino and set the glass down upon the table. He took his mother-in-law's hand and helped her to her feet. They said goodnight to the two men left in the parlor, but they were so into their discussion that Van didn't think they even noticed.   
  
As they wandered down the hallway to the guest quarters, Midori did not let go of Van's hand. "Van, I know that you didn't tell me all what happened during these past few days," she began. "There was something more than just that incident, am I right?"  
  
Van nodded. "We had a… run in… with someone from our past," he explained. "The same 'someone' that we had a problem with when Hitomi first returned to Gaea."  
  
Midori's expression did not change. "And this 'someone'. Is it all over with this person?"  
  
A beat. "Yes."  
  
"Good."  
  
They walked in silence until they reached the suite given to her. Before Midori entered her dimly lit bedroom, she turned around and kissed Van on the cheek. "You thought that bringing Hitomi's family and friends to her would be awkward. Why?"  
  
"Well, I'm the man that took her away from you all. I'm the cause for her not being able to see her family and friends for years." He swallowed. "It's because of me that you haven't been able to see your granddaughter until now."  
  
"Van, I don't hold you responsible at all," Midori said firmly. "Nor does my son or Hitomi's friends. It was *her* choice and I believe it was the right one. And as for my granddaughter… I believe that she is a beautiful girl and is growing into an even more beautiful young woman. The past few days with her have been wonderful, and I hope to spend even more time with her. And Hitomi."  
  
Van nodded again. "I insist upon it."  
  
"If the King insists upon it, then it must be carried out," Midori said with a smile. "Goodnight, Van."  
  
"Goodnight, Midori."  
  
As her door clicked shut, a large weight lifted from his shoulders. It had been his plan to bring the Kanzakis and Hitomi's friends that she left behind, but he wasn't sure what their reaction towards him would be. This just proved that there was no hidden hostility. He walked back to his bedroom, his heart a little bit lighter than it was earlier.   
  
As he entered the area, he tiptoed inside as to not wake Hitomi. He could make her sleeping form curved towards his side of the bed, her shape lit by a full moon's light. He noticed that the picture book Yukari gave her was on the bedside table. He'd have to take a look at it later on.  
  
He quickly removed his shirt and slid underneath the covers.  
  
"Hey. I'm still awake," Hitomi said drowsily.  
  
"Sorry. Did I disturb you?"  
  
"No."  
  
The silence of the night overtook them as Van settled into the large bed and faced Hitomi. She looked at him sleepily.  
  
"Hitomi, has there been anytime that you regretted coming to Gaea?"  
  
The question had been on his mind, but he hadn't intended on asking it. But now that it was out in the air, it might as well be answered.  
  
"I remember that you asked me this before," she responded. "And the answer hasn't changed. No, I haven't." She brushed back his dark hair so she could look directly into his eyes. "If I hadn't come back to Gaea, this world would have been in trouble… we never would have had Sellie… and I never would have been happy or satisfied by anyone else but you."  
  
Van stroked her cheek and kissed her softly on the forehead. Hitomi shifted her body so that he could hold her more comfortably in his arms. Memories of the previous week's events melted away as he lay contently holding the woman he loved.   
  
"Tomorrow is another day," he whispered. "Let's just see what it brings."  
  
* * *  
  
Instead of releasing this chapter alone, I decided to write out the Epilogue as well. Go on to read the conclusion of Parvulus de Crepuscid.  
  
Hitomi's brother's name has been changed to Mamoru, like what it was for the series. His wife, Yoko, is named for Yoko Kanno and their daughter Mizuru is named for the character in the Escaflowne video game (if you can get your hands on the 8th DVD, they have clips of her, but that's not who MY character is).  
  
Sorry if this chapter and the following epilogue seem really condensed, but I needed to sum up what happens and I don't want to go on and on in full detail.   
  
Chapter title comes from Gillian Anderson's directed episode of the X-Files "all things". 


	21. Epilogue

Date. 09.04.2003  
  
Time. 3.20 pm  
  
Music. "Shaking the Tree" by Peter Gabriel  
  
Epilogue  
  
Copyright. I don't own any part of the Vision of Escaflowne.  
  
Author's Notes. I'm going to write down my thoughts and thanks at the end of this update.  
  
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid  
  
Epilogue  
  
* * *  
  
Purple, 13th Moon, Year of the Sapphire (10 years after the events of "Parvulus de Crepuscid" took place)…  
  
Rouen marveled at the unfamiliarity of the dark forest, though he had traveled this path several times before. He could swear the trail twisted and turned between the trees much more often than usual. Of course, it could be a part of his very active imagination, a skill that both he and Sellie used to its fullest level.   
  
He had told the men accompanying him to turn around and head back to Fanelia. A twinge of guilt had crept over his shoulder for them to follow him for hours only to have them return to the capital city. But it wasn't his choice to have a party on his travels.   
  
"There is no way that the Crown Prince of Asturia is going to be roaming around the Fanelian countryside by himself," the captain of the guard had said earlier. "Though there is peace in the world, you can never be too careful. Besides, I think Lady Selmé would have my head if I let her new husband out of my protection."  
  
So here he was, just outside the village of Arzas with a damn army following him. Alright, it wasn't an army, just five of Fanelia's soldiers. How was he going to lose them so he could continue by himself?  
  
"Halt!" he shouted. He pulled the reins on his horse and forced the stallion to pivot in mid-step. "Alright, I know you have your orders to protect me and all, but I promised to meet the Lady by myself, not with half of Fanelia's militia."  
  
"Oh, *that's* where we're going?" one of the knights asked. "Why is the Lady out here?"  
  
"Because she wanted privacy and she wanted some quietness away from the city and the palace," Rouen lied exasperatedly. "Now, I would request that I travel the rest of the way alone, and if your captain requires it so, come back tomorrow at the same time so we can return to the palace. And bring the Lady's ride. I'm sure that she'd like to travel on her own horse instead of sharing one."  
  
He turned the horse again and continued trotting down the road, leaving the five men baffled.  
  
"Well, what should we tell the Captain?" one called after him.  
  
"Tell him that I beat you up and ran!"  
  
* * *  
  
He had told the soldiers that Sellie wanted to be away from the tiring life at the palace for a couple of days. It wasn't actually a lie; life as a Royal was demanding and strenuous. But that wasn't the reason for his traveling to the middle of nowhere.  
  
He and Sellie had been married for four colors now, but due to their busy lives in Fanelia and Asturia, they haven't seen much of each other. Sellie had been preparing for the transition of power from her parents to herself over the past few years and had very little time to see Rouen. Hell, *he* had very little time to see her. When his mother died a few years back unexpectedly of the same disease that killed her older sister Marlene, Dryden made sure that Rouen would be able to manage the Asturian duties once he was gone. That meant a lot of extra homework on top of his normal studies.   
  
At least Sellie knew when her turn to become Queen of Fanelia was going to be. Not long after Lady Hitomi was retrieved from the Mystic Moon that Lord Van, Sellie, and she discussed at great lengths about their futures. The Lady felt very strongly against that in order for Sellie to become the Royal Leader of their country was for both of them to die. She explained how some of the countries back on the Mystic Moon controlled their countries, which Dryden found absolutely fascinating.   
  
It was decided upon that Sellie would become Queen in a set amount of years when Van and Hitomi would "disappear" into the Mystic Valley on one of their quests for Atlantean knowledge. Only their closest friends knew about these plans, he being one of them.   
  
The "incident" occurred one color ago. Word soon spread around the capital city like gossip wildfire that the King and Queen perished when their leviship was torn apart in the dangerous forces surrounding the Mystic Valley (very few people had actually traveled there, so none of the stories describing the place were at all accurate). The last time Rouen had seen Sellie was at her parents' "funeral" three weeks previous.  
  
The forest began to thin out and he could make out the dusking sky between the leaves. At last, the trees vanished and gave way to a small lake. Rouen eased back in his saddle and headed for the cabin across the waters, noticing the smoke rising from it. He hoped that dinner was ready; he was hungry enough to eat a dragon.   
  
He was just dismounting his steed when a soft voice spoke to him: "You were taking so long, I was about to give up on you."  
  
"Nah, my Lady," he replied. "I may be late, but I always show up." He gave the woman standing before him a big grin. "You look really good for someone who is supposed to be dead."  
  
Hitomi shrugged her shoulders. "I try. Now come over here and give your old mother-in-law a hug."  
  
He obeyed immediately and embraced her. "It's good to see you again," he said.  
  
"It's fantastic to you see you," Hitomi replied, breaking their hug. "You must be thirsty. Or hungry. Or both. I have dinner cooking right now. It should be ready in about fifteen minutes or so." She took his hand and led him to the large porch connected to the cabin. Lupin lay in one of the wooden reclining chairs, giving a slight wag in his tail when he recognized Rouen. Hitomi settled in the chair containing a leather book, poured a glass of water and handed it to Rouen.   
  
He noticed her very casual attire and wondered if it was chosen on purpose for her to "blend in" once she and Van set off on their journey. It was an old Fanelian-cut green dress with a dark green sash tied around her waist.  
  
"So where is Sellie?" he asked finally.  
  
Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "I was sure that the first thing you'd ask me was where was your wife," she replied. "She's out with Van. They needed special father-and-daughter 'bonding' time, if you catch my drift."  
  
"Ah, yes," he nodded his head. "Bonding" time meant "flying" time.  
  
"So," she added. "How is Asturia doing? When Dryden stopped by last week, he hadn't gone into deep details."  
  
"Things are going well," he cleared his throat. "Father is giving me some 'time off' from the meetings he has set up with some country ambassadors so I can be with Sellie. It looks like I'll be able to travel to Fanelia more often now because I think Father is realizing that I can manage ruling Asturia now."  
  
"Yes, he was talking about that briefly," Hitomi added. "But you know what? I think you're ready too. You and Sellie have challenged yourselves immensely with ruling over both Fanelia and Asturia."  
  
"I know she could never give up her homeland. She has such pride for Fanelia. I think it will be difficult, but its for the best." He paused. "Did Father also tell you what he and Allen have been planning?"  
  
"No," Hitomi said, completely interested. "Nor did Allen when he was here with the Crusade crew. What?"  
  
Rouen proceeded to explain Allen's wishes to move back to Palas. His courting with Princess Eries had gotten to the point that he was finally going to ask her hand in marriage. Everyone knew he'd do it at some point. But now, the good Knight was actually going to go through with it. He asked Dryden to transfer him to the capital of Asturia so he can be with Eries.   
  
"But wait a minute," Hitomi interrupted. "What about his post? And the Crusade?"  
  
"That's the best part," Rouen replied, grinning. "Allen has already picked out the perfect candidate. It's just a matter of him telling Gaddes of his promotion."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yep."  
  
Hitomi was beaming. "That's wonderful news! Oh, he and Celena will be so happy! And Linden, too!" Linden was Gaddes and Celena's nine year old son.  
  
"Father thinks there may be some trouble about Gaddes' past, but I'm sure that will get pardoned or something."  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
Rouen cleared his throat again after a moment of silence. "So… what do you and Van have planned for your travels?"  
  
Hitomi flashed him a look. "Nothing, really."  
  
"Ah, one of those spontaneous sort of adventures?"  
  
"More like 'point your finger on a map' adventures. We'll decide in a few days."   
  
Hitomi had never seen all of Gaea. In all of her years of residence, she barely journeyed outside of Fanelia or Asturia. Sure, there were the odd trips to Freid to visit Chid. And then there was that one trip to Cassia. Van admitted that he hadn't done much pleasure traveling either, but that was because he had no desire to when Hitomi wasn't with him.  
  
It felt weird, hiding all this secret planning from the Fanelian people. But it was Sellie's idea for them to disappear. "Daddy, you've paid your debt to Fanelia so many times already," she told him one day when he began doubting their actions. "Mom as well. You've been Fanelia's ruler since you were fifteen. You're not running away or being cowardly. This is your time now. This is the chance for you to be just… you. You need to enjoy your life."  
  
That convinced him.  
  
"Are you prepared? I mean, leaving your friends and family?" he asked quietly. "Merle sure seemed sad when I saw her earlier today at the palace. Then again, it could have been one of the Twins doing something to her." It was hard to believe that Merle's girls were already teenagers.  
  
"I think that they're ready for us to go," she laughed. "Especially Sellie. I think that she wants to prove to everyone and to herself that she can handle the 'Queen' responsibilities."  
  
"I think she'll be able to," Rouen said. "She's a strong and mature young woman. Plus, she'll have her Advisor." He paused. "And me," he added, grinning. "Fanelia's people will be in good hands."  
  
Hitomi nodded, then diverted her attention to something in the distance. "Ah, here they come now," she pointed out.   
  
Indeed, they were. Rouen noticed two large shapes in the sky heading in their direction. Within seconds, he could make out the identifiable shape of Sellie in the lead with Van a-ways behind her.   
  
Suddenly, Sellie narrowed her wings and swooped recklessly to the lake's waters. Rouen bolted out of his chair just in time to see her graze her fingers on the surface of the water. She pulled up and looked back to see Van trying to keep up with her.  
  
"Ha! You're too slow, Dad!" she delightfully shouted. "I kicked your ass good!"  
  
"Hmmm…" Rouen could hear Hitomi mutter. "You may have spoke too soon about the whole 'mature' thing."  
  
"Yeah, I think I'm going to take that back," he whispered back just as he watched Sellie let her feet touch the porch with her father following her a second later. He noticed that she was casually dressed as well, though she was clad in her favorite cutoff pants and a white linen shirt.   
  
Sellie energetically bounded into his outstretched arms and kissed him deeply, her wings wrapping around him. "Mmmm… it feels so good to be able to hug you," she said when they broke apart.   
  
"You too," he replied. "You look beautiful, Sellie." He brushed back her loose hair.  
  
"Why, thank you kind sir," she said. "Shall we go inside and eat? I'm starving!"  
  
"How 'bout you two go inside and prepare the table?" Van suggested. "I need to catch my breath."  
  
As he watched the two go inside, Van took Hitomi's hand and walked her over to the wooden chairs she and Rouen had been sitting in. In a swift motion, he retracted his wings and took a seat.   
  
"You look exhausted," she commented.   
  
"I am," he replied, breathing in deeply. "Ever since you transferred the Power of Atlantis to her, she is just bustling with all that energy. I wonder how Rouen is going to handle it."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure Rouen can *handle* it," Hitomi said, smiling.  
  
"Don't even go there. I don't want to think about that." He glanced at her with a smirk on his face.  
  
They fell silent and watched the first stars twinkle their ways onto the great black vastness. The Mystic Moon and its smaller sibling reflected in the still lake almost perfectly.   
  
Hitomi leaned over and squeezed Van's hand. "We have to decide if we want to go to Earth first or not," she said. "We might as well go around Gaea while we're here."  
  
"Sounds good," Van agreed. "But I thought we said no planning out our course?"  
  
"Well, we kinda have to figure out which world we're going to first, now don't we, silly?" She pushed herself up out of the chair and held out her hand to help him to his feet. "C'mon. Dinner's almost ready, and I don't want to miss any more time with Sellie."  
  
He took her hand, but instead of helping himself to his feet, he calmly pulled Hitomi into his arms. She giggled at his playfulness.  
  
"I think they can wait a moment or two," he said just before he kissed her.  
  
* * *  
  
Many years later…  
  
"Wasn't that an interesting story?" she asks the boy nestled in her bed.  
  
"But Great-Grandma, you have changed it!" Frayn points out. "You left out the part with…"  
  
"Yes, I know, dearest," she replies. "But you've heard these stories so many times, I'm sure by now you'd be able to tell *me* how it goes."  
  
"I can't tell stories like how you tell them, Great-Grandma," he claims.   
  
"Why, thank you. But that compliment won't get you another story so you can stay up later. Don't you have to go to Asturia in the morning?"  
  
"Yeah, but its no big deal. Father just wants me and Karia…"  
  
"Karia and I."  
  
"…to see the cirque, but I don't want to."  
  
"That sounds like something fun. I think you better get going."  
  
"I agree, Frayn." Sellie walks into the bedroom. "Great-Grandma needs her rest. You're wearing her out."  
  
He pouts, but nevertheless leans over and kisses his great-grandmother on the cheek. "Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight, precious," she replies as he disappears outside the room.  
  
Sellie draws the curtains to a close and lights a few more candles along the walls. "So which story did His Royal Highness request of you?" she asks.  
  
"The one about the dragon and me going to Earth."  
  
"Ah, that one again," she sits on the edge of the bed, straightening up some of the books spread out over the comforters.   
  
"Just leave them there, honey, I'm going to look through some of them tonight."  
  
She sighs. "Alright, Mom. But don't stay up too late." She kisses her on the cheek opposite where Frayn kissed her. "Did Anyada and Karia come in and say goodnight as well?"  
  
"Yes, just before you did."  
  
Sellie looks at her momentarily, questioning the funny look that she catches in her mother's eye. She gently squeezes her hand. "Goodnight, Mom. I love you. You know that, right?"  
  
"Or course, I know. I love you, too."  
  
Sellie exits the room, leaving her to her journals and her memories.  
  
It is just as she remembers it. Somehow, she had been able to capture those precious moments perfectly in her journal with such eloquent words. As her wrinkled fingers flattens out the weather-worn paper, she reads on about that night in the cabin so many years ago and remembers the scene without flaw:  
  
"Dinner was hearty and full of laughter and conversation. Rouen discussed some politics with Van, but I could tell that Van didn't want to dig too deeply into the business he'd be leaving behind shortly. I think Rouen took the hint and changed the subject. I mentioned about the different visitations we had from all of our friends. Merle was the first with her two girls. They have taken so much after their mother, right down to the last obsessive personality trait. They are currently studying to work in the palace as Advisors once they have reached their eighteenth birthday. Allen, Gaddes, Celena, Linden and the rest of the Crusade boys spent a few days as well. I guess Allen couldn't tell us of his 'collaborations' with Dryden due to Gaddes' presence. But what good news for them! Then Dryden came with Sellie, and Rouen brings in the final stopover.   
  
"I think Sellie was forcing herself to be cheery after dinner for my sake and for Van's. This will be the first time in her life that neither of us will be around, but I tell her that it is all a part of growing up. I told her that back on Earth, people tend to move away from their parents at about eighteen years of age. I know that the cultures are different here, but I think it helped her a little.  
  
"Rouen informed us that he and Sellie would be leaving for Fanelia in the late morning. I don't know how I'm going to be at that point. I believe I'm doing fine right now, but I bet tomorrow, I'll be a wreck."  
  
She chuckles to herself. How accurately she predicted her near future. She doesn't understand how her own mother had been able to say good-bye to her.   
  
She flips through the pages of the diary, briefly stopping to read some passages. She shuts the leather book she holds in her lap and opens the next.  
  
Over the years, she has accumulated quite a collection of journals. Ever since she acquired the Power of Atlantis all those years ago, she wrote down every bit of information that she could find as well as her personal thoughts. These 'bits' have filled several books and have become aptly known as "The Atlantis Diaries." She hopes that the notes that she jotted down is organized enough for others to read and follow, not caring in the least if they read her own life adventures.   
  
She pauses on one page, a sentence popping out about one of their trips around Japan. She smiled as she read on about Van's first trip to the Disney theme park. He did not understand how the children found people dressed up in the costumes so fascinating. He tells her that if he had come here as a child, he'd be afraid for his life. He found the Pirates of the Caribbean to be absolutely terrifying, but he could not stop going on It's a Small World.  
  
She recalls some of their many adventures on Gaea and on Earth. At first, it was just her showing him some of the sights of her homeland while they stayed with her mother. He liked how her community was calm and quiet, rather than the industrious larger cities. Her brother had started his own business and became very wealthy. He managed to send them to other countries, like America and many of the European ones.   
  
In total, they spent about fifteen years on the road on both worlds. They spent quite a while in many of the places they visited, completely indulging in their attractions. But in the end, they mutually decided that it was time to go home.  
  
So she and Van spent the rest of their days in their secret hideaway. Sellie and Rouen had been using it as an escape from their lives at the palace. They soon found out that they were grandparents: Sellie and Rouen's firstborn, a girl of course, named Anyada Narya de Fanel Aston, followed shortly (by only a year) with Grae Mardil de Fanel Aston, a boy. With peace reigning over Gaea, it was easy for the children to be in one country or the other, along with both of their parents. After many meetings and deliberations, they decided upon that Anyada would remain in Fanelia to learn how to rule whereas Grae would live with his father in Asturia.   
  
  
  
They finally were able to meet their grandchildren in the secret of the lake cabin, along with other friends. Anyada, with her charismatic personality, had no problem that her grandparents were gone for the entirety of her life. Grae, however, took a bit more time to warm up. But once he did, he was just as chatty as his sister.  
  
From then on, the children would visit Van and her in the cabin yearly so they could celebrate their joint birthdays, after they had their own celebrations with their friends in Fanelia and in Asturia.  
  
This went on for a few more years, until she noticed one day how old she felt. Both she and Van were in their sixties, an age, she soon learned that not many people reached on Gaea.  
  
And them it happened  
  
It was a rainy night, not extraordinarily late in the evening. But to someone at their age, time moved differently. As she settled in one of her favorite chairs, Van simply stood up, kissed her, and told her that he was going to bed. She asked if he was alright, if he needed anything.  
  
"I'm just a little tired," was all he said.  
  
And that was the last time he spoke to her.  
  
He passed away peacefully in his sleep. She felt it within the moment he was gone, like a little tug at her heart, then a snap, then nothing. Sellie felt it too, and arrived at the cabin the next day with a few of her personal soldiers.  
  
"Are you alright?" she asked.  
  
Sellie could see the saddened look on her mother's face. "I think I am," she replied. "I just need to keep the faith that I'll see him one day again."   
  
Sellie forbade her to stay in the cabin and had her move back into the palace so she could be with her grandchildren. When palace personnel questioned the former Fanelian Queen's reappearance, Sellie simply dismissed them, saying that she must have been trapped in the Mystic Valley all this time.  
  
That was years ago, she thinks. She has watched her daughter rule the land with such elegance and assurance. She has watched her grandchildren grow into young adults. Princess Anyada has already married and has had two beautiful children, first Princess Karia and then Prince Frayn.  
  
Oh, Van. I hope you can see how the Fanels have flourished!  
  
She thinks for a moment, knowing that her time here is shortening. She reaches over to her bedside nightstand and retrieves a blank parchment and pen and begins to write, letting the words form themselves:  
  
Dearest Sellie,  
  
I can't begin to express the happiness I have felt watching you and your children grow throughout these long years. When I was traveling, I feared that I would never get to see any of my grandchildren. How wonderful both Anyada and Grae are. And Karia and Frayn. My hopes for the future of Gaea are in safe care.  
  
I am passing the Atlantis Diaries onto you, Sellie. As you are the Guardian of the Power of Atlantis still, it is necessary for you to understand its energies. In these books are the basics of the Atlanteans' alphabet, their system of government, the purpose of the pendant you wear round your neck, almost anything you need. Please, use them and add your own discoveries. Pass them down the line when it is time for Anyada to be the Guardian. These books are meant to be used. She must understand why it is so important to perform this duty. I was the First.  
  
I spoke with Gaea a few times years ago. We agreed that she would let our lives play out, that she would not interfere anymore, and that she would only be called upon in times of great need involving the Power of Atlantis. It is important not to have supernatural intervention.   
  
I am sorry that I must go, but you know in your heart that you'll understand my reasons. I have had so many blessings in my life, much more than what I expected. I am honored to be a great-grandmother. But there is still an emptiness inside of me.   
  
Just know that wherever I am, I will be at peace and I will be happy.   
  
With all the love I possess,  
  
Hitomi  
  
She stares thoughtfully at the letter, folds it over and writes Sellie's name on the outside. She stacks the books on the bedside table and places the note at the very top. She leans back into the soft pillows and shuts her eyes.  
  
She has them closed for only a moment when she hears someone calling her name. A voice that she has not heard for what seems like an eternity. She opens her eyes to see him standing beside her. He appears to be real enough to touch, but he looks like the same hotheaded young King he was when they first met, dressed in his familiar red shirt and khaki riding pants. He is even wearing his silly grin upon his face.  
  
"I knew you were going to come," she whispers to him.  
  
He just smirks at her. "Are you ready?" he asks. His voice is his, and yet, ethereal.  
  
She smiles back. "Is it that simple?"   
  
"It is." He holds out his ungloved hand.  
  
She takes it into hers, and gasps when she sees her own hand is young and strong once again. Suddenly, she is on her feet. She embraces him, thrilled to be able to hold him in her arms. She looks back to see her older self sleeping serenely with a smile on her face.  
  
The room disappears into a swirling mist. He keeps a tight hold on her hand still. "We were all surprised at how long you held in there," he comments.  
  
"Sorry?"  
  
"We all have been waiting for you. You were the last of us."  
  
"Yes, I know. I am sorry."  
  
He stops her. "Don't be," he says. "But before we move on, you must choose."  
  
"Choose?"  
  
"We all have a choice. We can move on and be with our friends and our family. Or…" he gestures to the other direction. "We can go back. Live again."  
  
She thinks for a moment. "Let's go back," she finally says.  
  
He laughs. "That is what you always choose. Every time."  
  
She smiles. "If you knew what the answer would be, then why would you ask?"  
  
"Because I want to know if you would ever consider the other option."  
  
She grabs his hand. "Come on," she says. "It will be fun. We can find each other again."  
  
He grins and kisses her. "I'll see you soon," he whispers into her ear.   
  
He disappears in front of her eyes, and suddenly she feels heavy once more. The mist darkens and her environment becomes obscure and wet. She realizes that she is about to be born into the world and into her new life. But all of her memories of her previous life are quickly being stripped away in preparation for new ones.  
  
She hopes that she will be able to find him once more. She knows she will.  
  
Its just a matter of time before she does.  
  
* * *  
  
And their story and my journey  
  
And the lesson they provide  
  
Draw their strength and inspiration  
  
From a love that never dies.  
  
That's it! I'm all done! The Escaflowne Saga is over. I want to give a special thanks to all those who have kept with both Rota Fortunae and Parvulus de Crepuscid all of this time. And I want to give a really big thanks to all of you who reviewed.   
  
Anyada is named for my non-blood related cousin.  
  
The lyrics above come from the ending song of Aida sung by the Princess. 


End file.
